When Should I Begin Pruning My Trees?

Trees are vital to our homes and communities. It is important to keep trees in shape to create the foundation for fruitful growth. Tree pruning is an essential skill as it is about trimming dead, damaged or diseased parts of the tree to benefit the whole.

You can tell that it is time to prune when: you need to rid specific branches and stems to promote a foundation for healthier plant life, you need to correct potential hazardous or conflicting situations, and when the season is just right. Always have the contact for your local best value tree service so they can be available for any professional help if needed.

To Promote a Foundation for Healthier Plant Life

Dead tree branches often arise due to disease, animals, and storm damage. If you regularly prune your trees you will be able to maintain a healthy tree growth despite these natural circumstances.

To keep the tree growing in the desired form, you will need to constantly remove unwanted branches and other unnecessary stems. Keep an eye out for branches that cross over each other or the ones that grow back towards the tree. These are signs of unhealthy tree growth and must be trimmed.

Removing co-dominant branch leaders are essential as well. This happens when the two branches that grow at the top start to grow straight up as if fighting for dominance. When this happens, you need to cut off one branch and let the other one become the dominant leader. This avoids potential splitting and wood tearing.

Overall, you need to keep an eye out on what is disrupting the healthy flow of your tree growth.

To Correct Hazardous and Conflicting Situations

Sometimes, trees grow in a shape that hangover a home or towards the streets. This is dangerous for passersby as it can eventually grow to block intersections and sidewalks. Low-growing and abnormal growing branches subject to storm damage are especially signs for you to prune. Keep in mind, inappropriate tree pruning can actually weaken the tree, so pay attention to how you remove the dead branches. If the tree is leaning, it can be a sign that it is dying or sick, so you should call a local professional.

Some things to keep an eye out for are dead wood on the tree’s crown, cuts, and peeling bark. Leaning trees can especially be a danger, and in this case, you would have to prune the leaning side’s branches to distribute the weight better. Construction around trees, such as an installation of a driveway, can potentially damage the tree’s health as it can break the feeder roots which will eventually starve and destabilize the tree.

There is also conflict with neighbors when one tree grows onto another’s property. When this happens, it is the tree owner’s duty to remove weak branches or stems. If your neighbor’s tree is growing on your property, you are, by law, able to trim branches that stem pass the property line. However, you may not go onto your neighbor’s property and destroy the tree.

It is ideal to call a professional for work that takes more attention to detail. Difficult situations such as not being able to easily reach the work area, working near or on power lines and just being around recent storm damage (especially if heavy limbs are still attached or hung to the tree) calls for the best value tree service to bring their expert labor.

When the Timing is Right

There are good times and bad times to prune depending on the species and condition of the tree. If the tree is stressed, it does not need to be heavily pruned. Pruning on certain sides during certain times of the year is something to consider. For example, do not prune west-facing branches during the heat of the summer as you will be removing limbs that shade the tree from the sun. This can cause wounds and damage to the tree.

Pruning just before a new growth leaves fresh wounds exposed for a shorter time as the new growth will begin the sealing process. Pruning at this time can also help avoid disease and physiological issues. Overall, late winter and early spring are the best times as they are right before a tree opens its buds. During this time, disease pathogens are also inactive and most likely won’t be a serious risk for the trees.

Avoiding hot, dry periods and extreme winter cold should also be front of mind when you are about to prune. To direct the growth and have more control over the development of the branches, you can prune in the summer soon after the season growth is finished. Doing so will reduce the total leaf surface which therefore reduces the amount of food manufactured and sent to the roots. Also, pruning in the summer will help you catch more signals of defection.

If the purpose of pruning is to enhance flowering, you should prune when the flowers fade (for trees that bloom in spring) or in winter/early spring (for trees that shower in mid to late summer). Do not prune during the fall because it is then that decay fungi will spread their spores profusely.

Pruning can stimulate or restrict growth, so to do it the right way you should, more often than not, resist the temptation of doing it yourself and just bring in a professional for the best value tree service. Poor pruning can permanently devalue and weaken the tree, leaving it more susceptible to disease and damage.

You can begin tree pruning when you want to promote a healthy foundation and remove dead branches, start to notice signs of potential hazards and conflicting situations or when the season is just right. Pruning can be a difficult task, especially because the attention to detail and skill are vital in making sure the tree comes out ready for fruitful growing.