Resources

Top Trees LLC is the best resource for any and all of your tree pruning needs whether you have us do the work or you need to do it yourself, we look forward to speaking with you.

Tip of the Day: How to Sharpen Pruning Shears

Pruning shears are by far the fussiest garden tool to sharpen. The principle is the same as for hedge shears, but filing along the curved blade asks a great deal of your fine motor skills. The other half of the pruning shears has a thick, blunt blade that the sharp curved blade cuts against. This heavier blunt blade is one reason this tool is able to cut branches more than 1 in. thick.

First, file along the factory bevel. File the edge of the pruning blade using two hands. Start at the point and follow the curve of the factory bevel. Make one complete stroke from the point to the base of the blade. Apply light pressure in a direction away from you. Examine the edge after each stroke of the file to ensure you’re following the path of the factory bevel. Once you’ve exposed fresh steel along a consistent curve, feel the backside for burrs. Sand away the burrs.

Then, file the blunt blade so it’s flat. The blunt blade needs a crisp 90-degree edge. Think of the edge on a freshly cut piece of granite. Both the top and the side surfaces are flat, and where they meet you’ll find a crisp, sharp edge. File along the factory bevel. Using a smooth 10-in. half-round file, file the inside curve of the blunt blade perfectly flat. Use two hands for control. Make sure you hold the file exactly 90 degrees to the inside curve. Once this surface is flat, sand both side surfaces of the blade with 300-grit paper to get rid of any burrs.

If you’re looking to do all of your own tree pruning, we will be your biggest cheerleaders. If you ever need advice, a quick tip, or just have a quick question, please call us anyways. We will be happy to help and assist in any way we can. If there is ever a job that gets to be a little too big, please give us a chance to earn your business. We are the best tree pruning service in Benton City.

Top Trees LLC is the best resource for any and all of your tree pruning needs whether you have us do the work or you need to do it yourself, we look forward to speaking with you.

Tip of the Day: How to Remove a Bush

If you have bushes that you want to remove, here’s how to get the roots out without hours of digging and chopping.

Use leverage. Start by digging around the base and cutting all the roots you can get at. Then lay scraps of plywood on each side of the bush. Set a jack stand or concrete blocks on one side and set up your jack on the other. Lay a beam across them and tie the root to the beam with a chain. You’ll apply hundreds of pounds of pulling force, so both the beam and the chain must be strong. Use a 6-ft. 4×6 or 6×6 for the beam and a chain for towing cars. Raise the jack, stopping to cut the roots as they become exposed. If you max out the height of your jack before all the roots are free, add a few blocks to increase the beam height.

Caution: Before cutting the roots, reduce tension on the chain to prevent injuries from recoil. Wear eye protection.

If you’re looking to do all of your own tree pruning, we will be your biggest cheerleaders. If you ever need advice, a quick tip, or just have a quick question, please call us anyways. We will be happy to help and assist any way we can. If there is ever a job that gets to be a little too big, please give us a chance to earn your business. We are the best tree pruning service in West Richland.

Top Trees LLC is the best resource for any and all of your tree pruning needs whether you have us do the work or you need to do it yourself, we look forward to speaking with you.

Tip of the Day: First-Year Bush Pruning

The first year, cut the branch tip just beyond a bud. This “heading off” technique channels more growth energy to smaller side branches, which will then fill in vacant areas. Make this cut at a side branch or 1/4 in. beyond a bud. Be selective and watch the results from the previous year to help gauge future growth. This technique works best on bushes and trees that grow mostly from one or a few stalks, as opposed to bushes that continually send up new shoots (suckers), like lilacs and forsythia.

Bonus Tip of the Day: Avoid Flattop Bush Pruning

It’s tempting to grab the hedge shears and shape a bush by cutting off the branch tips. This “flattop haircut” approach may look fine for a year or two, but it stimulates growth on the outermost branches, forces the bush to grow into an unnatural shape (your idea rather than the plant’s) and fails to control size. The bush actually grows larger and becomes more difficult to bring back to size without being ruined. The exception is hedge-type bushes.

If you’re looking to do all of your own tree pruning, we will be your biggest cheerleaders. If you ever need advice, a quick tip, or just have a quick question, please call us anyways. We will be happy to help and assist any way we can. If there is ever a job that gets to be a little too big, please give us a chance to earn your business. We are the best tree pruning service in Kennewick.