Russian Olive Tree - Health

F

frankgrimesjr

Location
ON, CA
I have, what I've been told, a Russian Olive Tree. The branches appear rather weak and are covered in a type of growth. (see pictures). I wondering about the overall health of the tree and whether I should be pruning some of the branches. Just looking for advice. :)
 

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How can I tell if the branch is dead? I am having some difficulty determining.
Also, if I think a branch is dead, where do I cut it?
Not sure if these pics help....

Thanks again all. :)
 

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Maybe I’m crazy but the new photos make that look like a honey locust to me.
Folks are giving you the cold shoulder bc Russian olive is invasive and kind of terrible, so we would never spend time figuring out how to improve its health or prune it. This does not look like Russian olive to me.

I would wait until the tree leafs out and you can easily spot what is dead. Any cuts you make should be done according to general tree/plant health, a quick Google search should yield a good diagram.
 
Go to the website 'Trees are good' for information on where to cut branches.

Find plant identification keys for Russian Olive and compare the pictures to yours.

Yup...wait until it's leafed out and the deadwood will be obvious

Or...hire a qualified arborist to do the pruning and disposal of the foul, nasty trimmings.
 
Years ago I read a research article about the concern for spreading canker when pruning locusts during rainy periods.

The conclusion was that there was more canker spread from making bad pruning cuts...rips, stubs, flush cuts, nicks...than when making good branch collar cuts. Rain wasn't the deal breaker the research found.
 
I had a honey locust (thornless cultivar) in my yard. I eventually removed it. My experience was that it splits extremely easily. I'd suggest making your initial cuts a good bit away from the finish cut location until you see how your tree behaves. You don't want a split to run past the location of your finish cut.
 
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