How to prune a chestnut tree

The best time of year to prune a chestnut is during the cooler months, from early November to early March. It should be cool but frost-free outside. At sub-zero temperatures, frostbite would occur at the interfaces and damage the tree. With outside temperatures above four degrees, the conditions for a fungal disease are ideal. Fungal spores penetrate the wood via the fresh cuts and can severely damage the tree in the long run.

When is the best time to prune a chestnut tree?

The chestnut is one of those trees that are poorly able to ward off invading germs. Have your chestnut tree trimmed by a professional. He knows how sensitive the chestnut tree is to pruning measures and acts accordingly.

types of pruning

– When can a chestnut be cut? –

It is best to start pruning a chestnut tree at a young age. From the age of two, you can slowly build up the scaffolding of the young tree with regular training cuts. Now the branches that have to be removed still have a small diameter, so the cuts in the wood are also small and offer little surface for fungal spores and other germs to attack. If you also observe the right time of year for a cut, the wounds on the tree dry quickly and do not become infected with bacteria or fungi. If a stable tree structure is achieved after a few years, it is sufficient to carry out the pruning measures over a longer period of time.

The education cut

The chestnut tree needs regular pruning for the first 2 to 5 years. This is very important for the vigorous growth of the tree and should be carried out once or twice a year. The right time for this is of course the cool season. With this cut, you choose a strong shoot that grows upwards, which should develop into a strong trunk in the next few years. Cut off any other competing branches cleanly at the base and seal the edges of large wounds with tree sap or something similar. Small cut surfaces dry in the air.

The clearing cut

If the chestnut tree has developed a stable tree structure after a few years and has reached the desired shape, a clearing cut is sufficient for further care. Diseased and dead twigs and branches are removed. The cut is made directly on the trunk. Even branches that disturb the regular growth of the tree, such as twigs that grow inwards and twigs that hinder each other's growth, are cut directly on the trunk. The clearing cut makes room for a new shoot. If the chestnut tree has already been steered into the right growth trajectory with training cuts, clearing cuts are only necessary at long intervals. The older the chestnut tree gets, the less it is cut.

The Cleanup Cut

Up to the age of twenty, the chestnut tree needs a pruning about every two to three years. In the undisturbed growth period, the tree has formed many thin shoots that grow upwards, the so-called water veins. On the trunk itself, side shoots are a nuisance, and thin shoots also sprout from the root area, the rootstock, the bud shoots. All of these unwanted rashes are radically removed during the clean-up cut, i.e. right down to the old wood. Widespread side branches and high, unstable trunk axes must be shortened.

The trunk itself is cleaned and examined for diseased areas. Cut out diseased parts and dead wood down to the healthy wood and close the wound if necessary. If pests have nested in knotholes or under the bark, these areas must also be removed.

The crown cut

The crown of a chestnut tree also requires regular pruning during its first twenty years of life. Once a strong tree structure is in place, only clean-up cuts are required. If you want to trim the crown properly, cut back its weak branches. Weak side branches and vertical shoots are also trimmed or cut off completely, as they unnecessarily draw strength from the tree. The tree is stabilized by pruning the crown, giving an older chestnut the strength to form new branches.

How does the cut have to be done step by step?

When it's time to prune your chestnut tree again, start with a clean-up pruning. First remove all dead wood and cut diseased branches back into healthy wood. Then shorten excessive trunk axes and side branches that are too long, eliminate water veins and side shoots. As a last measure, you can cut the crown. Here you cut off weak branches and shorten shoots that are too long. If you correct all branches and parts of the crown in this way, the tree can develop a strong tree structure over the next few years.

What mistakes should you avoid?

Before you prune your chestnut tree, you should definitely find out when the best time to do it is. Above all, the right outside temperatures are important. If branches need to be cut off completely, use the scissors directly on the trunk. But be careful not to damage the log. Do not leave any branch stubs, the so-called coat hooks.

Do not wait too long before cutting the chestnut for the first time. You only develop the basis for a healthy and strong tree structure when you are young. Regular pruning ensures good growth.

Use wound resin sparingly and only for large wounds in the wood. Moisture and warmth under the wound balm create ideal conditions for the growth of fungi. Leave cleanly cut small wounds to dry in the fresh air. Large cut surfaces are only coated on the outer edge, where the bark and wood come together. This is where the delicate cambium layer is located, where the cells responsible for tree growth divide.

Cut correctly with the ideal cutting tool

You can only cut properly with high-quality tools. Cut branches with appropriate pruning shears. A telescopic pull-out makes work easier here. A pruning saw may have to be used when cutting the crown.

If you are planning a grooming cut, check that all blades are sharp enough. You can only achieve a clean cut with sharp blades and the cut surfaces can heal well. If necessary, the scissors must be sharpened and blunt saw blades replaced.

Just before you start work, clean your work equipment with soapy water. The blades must then be thoroughly disinfected with alcohol so that no germs can penetrate the freshly cut surface.

Should you cut off faded flowers?

When the chestnut blooms, it impresses with beautiful white candles for a few days. Once they have withered, the chestnuts will develop. The fruits are a source of food for many animals in winter and the children collect them for handicrafts. Faded chestnut blossoms should therefore not be removed. Flowers that do not produce chestnuts dry up and fall off the tree by themselves.

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