How to Trim a Gleditsia Sunburst Tree

The “Sunburst” honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis “Sunburst”) draws the eye immediately to its branches with its light-green to yellow spring and summer foliage. Individual leaves consist of ovate leaflets emerging from either side of a 6- to 8-inch-long leaf stem. The dark-brown to black bark provides a strong contrast with the light colored leaves. Thriving in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 7, this deciduous shade tree requires yearly trimming to keep its canopy healthy and aesthetically pleasing. Pruning is best done in the late spring or summer after the tree’s leaves develop fully and sap flow slows.

Mixing bowl or container
50 percent bleach solution
Pruning shears
Loppers
Pruning saw
Cloth
Gloves
Eye protection
Hat
Wheelbarrow

Instructions

- 1
  Fill a mixing bowl or other container one-third to one-half full of 50 percent bleach solution. Submerge the blades of pruning shears, loppers and a pruning saw in the solution. Leave the tools to soak for five minute to sterilize their blades. Blot the blades dry with a cloth.
- 2
  Put on gloves to protect your hands from scrapes or cuts during the pruning process. Put on eye protection and a hat to protect your head and face from injury.
- 3
  Cut out all dead branches from the “Sunburst” honeylocust. Cut through each branch, 1/4 inch above the raised ring of bark surrounding its base, known as the branch bark collar, if its diameter is less than 1 inch. Use the three-cut method for branches with diameters of 1 inch or more by first cutting half way through the underside of the branch, 12 to 24 inches from its base. Make the second cut through the top of the branch, 3 inches above the first cut. Cut through the branch’s base, above the branch bark collar, to make the third cut and finalize the branch’s removal. Use pruning shears to make the cut if the branch’s diameter is 3/4 inch or less, loppers for diameters of 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches and a pruning saw for diameters more than 1 1/2 inches.
- 4
  Trim out any broken branches from the tree’s canopy. Cut each cracked, split or broken limb back to healthy undamaged wood, making the cut 1/4 inch above a lateral branch, growth node, leaf stem or branch bark collar.
- 5
  Prune away any watersprouts, or vertically growing shoots, in the “Sunburst” honeylocust’s canopy. Cut off any suckers growing from the tree’s trunk or on the ground carefully to avoid damaging the trunk’s bark.
- 6
  Cut out any branches that cross or rub against another limb. Remove branches growing at an angle less than 45 degrees. Trim back any vigorous branches growing outside of the tree’s overall perimeter and detracting from its appearance. Make each of these cuts 1/4 inch above a lateral branch sporting a diameter at least one-third of the diameter of the portion selected for removal.

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