Gardening Tip

Remove dead, dying, damaged or unsightly parts of trees, sprouts growing at or near the base of trunks, suckers, crossed branches and V-shaped crotches. Use the “fingernail” test to identify dead wood: take the thumbnail and nick the branch to see if there is still green tissue below the bark, indicating the branch is alive. If there’s no green tissue, it’s dead wood and should be removed. When pruning dead or diseased wood, disinfect tools between each cut with products such as Lysol, Listerine or rubbing alcohol. , DataTimes