Noticed my pruning cuts got way better after I slowed down

Last week I was trimming a big oak near Austin and realized I've been rushing my cuts for years. Three years ago I would just hack through branches to get the job done fast. Last month a customer pointed out some stubs I left behind and it really made me think. Now I take an extra 30 seconds per cut to find the collar and make a clean angle. Has anyone else found that going slower actually saves time on callbacks?

4 comments

4 Comments

diana_kim6612h ago

Have you ever gone back to look at a tree you rushed through a few months later and just felt embarrassed by the cuts you made? I had this one live oak job last spring where I was trying to beat the heat and clipped a major branch flush to the trunk. Came back this fall and there was a big rotting wound with bark peeling off around it. That slow 30 seconds per cut is nothing compared to the time it takes to explain to a customer why their tree is dying now. It also saves you from having to climb back up there for a touch up a year later, which is way more exhausting than just being careful the first time.

troy_price12h ago

Man, I was the same way for years. I used to think speed was everything, like it showed I was experienced or something. Then about two years ago I had to re-do a whole row of crepe myrtles because I cut them all wrong the first time. That extra 30 seconds to find the collar is a game changer. I still catch myself rushing when it's hot though, and I always regret it when I look back at the tree later. You're right, slowing down does save time on having to explain bad cuts to clients.

reese_lee92h ago

Wait, hold on @diana_kim66. You had to explain to a client why their tree was dying because of a bad cut YOU made? That's wild. I would have been mortified. I've definitely made some ugly cuts in my time but I've never had to sit there and talk a homeowner through the consequences like that. That takes some serious guts to own up to it. I probably would have just blamed it on a squirrel or something and hoped they forgot. Props to you for being honest about it, because that's a hard conversation to have when you're standing there in your work boots.

ivanbell2h ago

Diana I feel you on that live oak story. I had a similar wake up call with a pecan tree down near San Antonio. I was in a hurry during a big storm cleanup and left a few stubs that looked fine at the time. Went back six months later to do a different job for the same client and saw the bark cracking around those cuts. Felt terrible having to explain to her that I'd made a mistake. That slow down lesson sticks with you after a moment like that.