Why McKinney homeowners trim their trees
- Clearance. Branches off the roof, gutters and chimney, and high enough over the sidewalk, driveway and street for walkers, cars and trash trucks.
- Storm prep. Dead and weakly attached limbs are the first to come down in North Texas wind and ice.
- A healthier tree. Removing crossing and rubbing branches, and thinning so light and air reach the inside of the crown.
- Grass that grows. Bermuda grass needs full sun, and even St. Augustine thins out in deep shade.
Types of pruning, in plain English
Crown cleaning
Taking out dead, dying, broken and crossing branches. It's the most common trimming job, and the one most trees need.
Crown thinning
Removing selected branches to cut weight and let wind through, without changing the tree's shape.
Crown raising
Removing lower limbs to clear roofs, driveways, sidewalks and lawns.
Crown reduction
Shortening long limbs back to a side branch, to pull a tree back from the house. Done properly, it is not topping.
Most arborists follow the rule of taking no more than about a quarter of a tree's leaves in one season.
Oak trees: when to prune in McKinney
Texas A&M Forest Service advises against pruning or wounding oaks from February through June. That's when sap beetles carry oak wilt spores to fresh cuts, and red oaks can die within a month of infection. The lowest-risk times are the coldest part of winter and the hottest part of summer. Every cut on an oak should be painted right away with latex paint or wound dressing, in any season.
If a crew offers to prune your oaks in April, ask them to come back in July or December.
Crape myrtles and other small trees
Prune crape myrtles lightly in late winter: take off suckers at the base, crossing branches and the seed heads you can reach. Cutting them back to stubs every year, which gardeners call "crape murder", leaves weak, crowded regrowth.
Why topping is a bad idea
Topping means cutting a tree's main stems back to stubs. It triggers fast, weakly attached sprouts and decay, so the tree becomes more dangerous, not less. Professional arborist organizations advise against it. If a quote says "top the tree", ask for crown reduction instead.