Again, an unsealed wound can end up with decay that spreads down into the tree’s trunk. When a stub is left, the plant is not able to seal the wound. Oftentimes, pruning lower limbs makes for a weak tree that needs to be staked.Īnother poor practice is failing to cut at the all-important branch collar and leaving a branch stub. Wounds that can’t seal will invite disease and pests. It also makes it easier for deer to rut or rub their antlers and damage the tree’s protective bark. Without lower limbs (known as temporary branches), an exposed tree trunk is vulnerable to sun scald and frost cracks. As I’ve written previously when I killed a tree, young trees are healthier-and their trunks grow larger-with all their branches attached. Trees in the nursery trade are limbed up to facilitate easier management in the field and in transport once the plant is dug. Studies show that nursery-grown trees, whether balled and burlapped (B&B) or containerized, inherently possess liabilities predominantly hidden defects that end up being a time and money sink for us consumers. The popular demand for these mass-produced trees further fuels the industry and its mediocrity. These growing and handling practices give rise to trees that are often destined to fail. Large caliper trees-those with a 1-inch diameter or greater-have issues that often begin early on in production, are exacerbated throughout transit and persist on the purchaser’s property. In fact, for decades, landscape professionals, arborists and academics have been vocal about the trade’s poor practices and much has been written by researchers about this very topic. But many, much smarter people have come to this same conclusion. Yup, there it is, what you might consider the anecdotal truth about the industry. I’ve come to the realization from all my early gardening days that the nursery trade offers consumers inferior tree stock.

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