The undercut is vital when removing tree limbs
When pruning large limbs off trees, it is a good idea to make an undercut first. This is a cut from the bottom up, about one-third of the way through the limb, 4 inches or so away from the main trunk.
Make the next cut from the top, an inch or so outside of the undercut, to remove the limb. The undercut keeps the limb from splitting and breaking off, which could damage the trunk.
Do not cut flush to the trunk, but just outside the branch collar at the base of the branch. Look for the point where the branch is enlarged close to the main trunk of the tree.
It is generally not recommended to paint the wound. Make the cut with a sharp saw at the proper point for best results.
• Start monitoring your garden more closely for animal damage so you can take protective action before it is too late to save a plant.
Protect emerging tulips from deer and rabbit damage by spraying with a repellent or covering with netting. Deer are actively browsing in gardens now.
Repellents need to be reapplied after rain. Netting needs to be adjusted as bulbs grow and may need to be weighted down to keep from blowing away.
Animals do not typically eat daffodils, Siberian squill or ornamental onions.
• If you have kept a coleus as a house plant, you can still start cuttings for transplanting to the garden. Use a sharp, clean knife or a pair of pruners to cut the stem just below a leaf node. Remove the lowest leaves, dip the cut end into a rooting hormone and insert it into some fresh, sterile potting soil.
The cuttings will also readily root if you place them in a glass of water. Transplant to a pot with growing medium once a small mass of roots has developed.
The plant cuttings will be ready to use in the garden by the middle of May when the danger of frost has passed. Gradually acclimate the coleus plants to the outside environment by increasing the time the plants are left outside over a period of a week or so. Be sure to avoid direct sun at first so the leaves do not burn.
• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.