Horse Chestnut Tree

Question

Is there any special way to trim/prune this tree as it seems that every year I trim it it returns
with many more branches than I trimmed off. These seem to appear in groups in several other areas?
and continue to grow up to a metre in length. the tree is situated on a boundry line and unfortunately keeping the tree in a neat condition falls on me!!

Regards
William Pinkerton

Answer 1

Pruning a tree tells it to grow more branches. If you cut off branch tips to contain spread, it will send up “water sprouts” which you don’t want. It is better to cut a branch back to the trunk. Would removing all the lower branches (limbing it up) solve your problem? If not, then it sounds like you have a tree in the wrong location. Because it is a heavy sap bleeder, mid to late summer is the only time it should be pruned. Trimming of dead wood or small branches is less time sensitive. Bleeding sap equates to losing very important nutrients. It’s worth having an arborist give you an opinion.