Some Thoughts on Pruning

2003


After you complete a work of pruning it should look as if you had never been there.

I have had during my life the great blessing of working intimately with trees, pruning them in tropical, sub-tropical and temperate climates. It has always been a sacred work, a collaboration with the spirit of the species to understand its nature and the expression of beauty it manifests and to work with it to enhance its beauty and help in realizing its aspiration.

The work of pruning can be physically demanding and requires intense concentration and silence to feel the particular vibration and offering which the tree represents, to observe past and present wounds, growth manifestations such as water sprouts and sucker growth that take energy from the tree and to know where and how to remove them. Nature, in her exuberance often produces far more seeds than required to assure continuation of the species. She does this with growth also and I have read numerous books on the principles and practice of pruning.

Montague Free, a friend of my father, wrote one of the classics on pruning and there are modern books in my library that offer excellent advice as well.Then, too, I have learned from some of the finest horticulturists techniques that are often not found in books.As an example, if you remove water shoots when they are young, it is best to twist them off.If you cut them off with pruning shears they will grow back even more vigorously and even produce more.If you twist them off you inhibit further growth and the energy is then utilized properly by the tree.Similarly, if you want a trunk to develop great girth you should prune its small branches to within a foot instead of cutting them off at the trunk. This slows down the movement of the sap and a stronger trunk develops.

Nature without the collaboration of man can often become overgrown and almost unmanageable.Man's collaboration in harmony with Nature and his knowledge of the cultural requirements and the habits of her various species will help her to express and enhance her beauty beyond her own ability. There are times when unchecked growth cannot be allowed as it would interfere with structures, vehicles, etc. Mother made this very clear to us in Her words on the Service Tree. She said that branches that touch the buildings should be cut back so they would not damage the structures. When the cyclone of 1972 broke a huge limb of the service tree and I helped to remove the stub so the tree would heal, Parichand the gardener in charge of the flower displays in the courtyard called me and to my surprise, with a beaming smile, told me that Mother had just sent me a Blessings Packet to care for the Service Tree for the rest of my life. I have written about this in other articles so let me move on.

When I left Auroville in March 1981, I went to Nolini for his blessings, I told him of all the difficulties in Auroville. He said to me: "She is trying a thousand different ways. You see, Auroville is to be the last refuge of the world." As I was about to leave he said: "Who will take care of the Service Tree?' I promised to come back and care for it. He then blessed me.

The banyan tree at Auroville's geographical center, the Matrimandir, must be cared for and not neglected or knowingly or unknowingly treated improperly as it has been for many years. For example, aerial roots are only needed to support branches that will become too heavy and possibly break. They are not design features! When I returned from the U.S. I was told that no expert had been called in to see to curing the fungus inside the mother trunk. We are now attending to problems such as root rot, decay in major branches, and the removal of unnecessary aerial roots. At the age of 65 and now undergoing treatment for a back injury I am no longer able to climb, but there are professional tree pruners such as Juan, an expert from Spain, and the men he has trained who are competent and are now being asked by the Auroville community, especially after 2011's cyclone Thane to do the heavy and often critical and dangerous physical work necessary to insure the health of the tree. Led by Indra, Juan and the team worked with me and members of the Ashram to remove the massive broken branches over the Samadhi of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Their work and their care will be gratefully remembered by Ashramites for years to come.

There is no more sacred tree in all the world than the Service Tree over the Samadhi of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Our prayers for it to lives for many more centuries are especially significant at this critical time. We must also conscientiously care for the Banyan Tree and assure that it will continue to be the symbol of Aurovilles aspiration for Unity and Peace.

Some Suggested Guidelines

Look at each potential cut from many angles and from various distances away from the tree.

Never make a cut without all experts examining the branch, etc. and agreeing.

Always remove dead material first.

Remove crossing branches to prevent them from rubbing and creating open wounds. Also remove branches that grow against the natural shape of the tree.

Clean out infected areas.

Before making a cut examine the rings at the base of the branch and encircling it. Make the cut above these rings as cells are most active there and the cambium will heal more rapidly. Do not cut into the branch (a flesh cut) but just above the rings.

Fertilizing older trees. Again, there is a wealth of information in books and on the internet. I suggest to use only leaf mold compost for the Banyan tree and not to over fertilize any tree because it leads to too rapid growth and a weak trunk. Do not use animal manures on the Banyan, use leaf mold composted from its leaves.