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How to Prune Butternut Trees

Tip

Wear goggles and gloves for safety when pruning butternut trees.

Warning

Do not remove more than one-quarter of the crown at a time, or you may cause stress and excessive production of epicormic sprouts.

Butternut trees, or juglans cinerea, is a nut tree that slowly grows to a height of 40 to 60 feet. It has a furrowed bark and makes clusters of sweet nuts that are used in baking. When mature, butternut trees have a spread of about 35 to 50 feet. They bloom in May to June and do well in most types of soil. Prune the trees when they are young to produce a strong structure. As they mature, the purpose of pruning is to maintain the tree structure, health, form and appearance.

Look at the form of a butternut tree, which is considered spherical. This means it has many lateral branches that may compete for dominance. You need to take this into account because if you try to make the tree into an unnatural form, you'll have to do continual maintenance.

  • Butternut trees, or juglans cinerea, is a nut tree that slowly grows to a height of 40 to 60 feet.
  • Prune the trees when they are young to produce a strong structure.

Use a hand pruner to cut small, thin branches. Lopping shears or small pruning saws can be used for slightly larger branches with bigger cutting surfaces and greater leverage. If you're dealing with even larger branches--about 6 inches in thickness--use a pruning saw. Chain saws will work on those thicker than 8 inches.

Plan to make cuts at the node, which is where one twig or branch meets another. Each spring, growth will start with buds and twigs growing until there is a new node.

Thin the crown to increase the amount of light and air that gets to the tree. Light penetration is necessary for optimal development while air movement minimizes disease infestation. During this process, you will develop and maintain the tree's form and structure.

  • Use a hand pruner to cut small, thin branches.
  • Plan to make cuts at the node, which is where one twig or branch meets another.

Keep all butternut tree branches that are attached with strong U-shaped joints. Remove those branches with narrow, V-shaped connections because they are weaker and are likely already cracked.

Achieve crown raising by removing all the branches that are facing downward at the bottom of the tree. This will provide clearance for pedestrians, traffic and lines of site. The tree will also have a neater appearance.

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