Trees are majestic additions to a property, offering shade, beauty, and even increased property value. But like any living thing, trees require proper care to thrive. Pruning is a crucial aspect of tree maintenance, promoting healthy growth, enhancing aesthetics, and ensuring safety for your home and surroundings. While hiring a professional arborist is always an option, many Newmarket homeowners can tackle basic pruning tasks themselves with the right knowledge and techniques.

With this guide’s help, you too can become a confident DIY tree pruner. We’ll delve into the fundamentals, explore essential tools, and provide step-by-step instructions for common pruning scenarios. By the end, you’ll be equipped to keep your Newmarket trees healthy and beautiful.

Why Prune Your Trees?

Prune your trees regularly to keep your trees safe and healthy

Prune your trees regularly to keep your trees safe and healthy

Pruning offers a multitude of benefits for both your trees and your property. Here are some key reasons to incorporate pruning into your tree care routine: 

  • Improved Health: Pruning removes diseased, dead, or damaged branches, allowing healthy parts of the tree to receive more sunlight, nutrients, and water. This promotes stronger growth and reduces the risk of disease and insect infestation.
  • Enhanced Shape and Structure: Pruning allows you to control the size and shape of your tree, ensuring that it maintains a pleasing aesthetic and that doesn’t interfere with power lines, buildings, or walkways. 
  • Increased Safety: Dead or diseased branches pose a significant falling hazard. Pruning eliminates these hazards, keeping your family, pets, and property safe. 
  • Boosted Flower and Fruit Production: Proper pruning can also stimulate flower and fruit production in some tree varieties.

When to Prune

The ideal timing for pruning depends on the specific type of tree you have. Here’s a general guideline: 

  • Dormant Season: For most trees in Newmarket, late fall (after leaves have fallen) to late winter (before new growth begins) is the preferred pruning time. Pruning at this time minimizes stress on the tree and allows for better visibility of the branch structure.
  • Summer Pruning: This period is suitable for removing water sprouts (fast-growing, upright shoots) and suckers (shoots that grow from the base of the tree or roots) throughout the growing season. However, avoid major pruning cuts during summer, as it can leave the tree vulnerable to disease.

Always double-check with a reliable source like the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources’ tree atlas to determine your tree’s species and get specific pruning recommendations for it.   

Essential Tools for DIY Pruning

Always ensure you have the right tools for safe and efficient pruning

Having the right tools ensures a smooth and safe pruning experience. Here’s a basic toolkit to get you started: 

  • Pruning Shears: Ideal for removing branches up to ¾  inches in diameter. Look for bypass pruners, which make clean cuts that promote healing.
  • Lopping Shears: For thicker branches (¾  inches to 1 ½  inches), lopping shears provide additional leverage. 
  • Pruning Saw: A pruning saw tackles larger branches (over 1 ½  inches) that are too thick for lopping shears. Choose a handsaw with sharp teeth designed for tree pruning.
  • Safety Glasses: Protect your eyes from falling debris.
  • Gloves: Leather gloves shield your hands from scratches and thorns.
  • Long Sleeves and Pants: Dress appropriately to minimize the risk of scratches and exposure to sap.
  • Pruning Ladder: A sturdy ladder provides safe access to higher branches.
  • Pole Pruner: For reaching high branches without a ladder, consider a pole pruner with a bypass cutting head.

Safety First: Essential Precautions

Tree pruning can be physically demanding and involve working at heights. Before you start, it pays to familiarize yourself with some of the ins and outs of tree trimming safety, such as the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) safety guidelines. Here are some safety precautions to prioritize to ensure you stay safe as you work: 

  • Plan Your Work: Before starting, assess the size and condition of the tree and plan your cuts carefully.
  • Inspect Your Tools: Ensure your tools are sharp, clean, and in good working condition.
  • Maintain Proper Footing: Use a sturdy ladder with a wide base and ensure it’s positioned on level ground. If using a pole pruner, maintain stable footing.
  • Make Clean Cuts: Always cut just outside the branch collar (the raised area where the branch meets the trunk). Avoid flush cuts or leaving stubs. 
  • Avoid Over-Pruning: Generally, remove no more than 25% of a tree’s canopy at a time.
  • Seek Help for Large or Hazardous Trees: If you’re unsure about tackling a large tree, a diseased one, or a tree near power lines, hire a certified arborist for professional pruning.

Common Pruning Techniques

There’s more to pruning than just cutting off branches you think compromise your tree. Pruning trees has a logic to it that determines how you proceed, and it pays to be aware of the system to avoid making any homeowner pruning mistakes as you work. Here’s a short list of common pruning techniques to ensure you prune your trees safely and carefully: 

1. Thinning

This approach involves selectively removing entire branches to improve air circulation and light penetration within the canopy. It promotes healthier growth and reduces weight on limbs. Here’s how to thin: 

  • Identify Crossing or Rubbing Branches: Look for branches that rub against each other, causing abrasion. Remove one of the branches to prevent future damage.
  • Target Weak or Diseased Branches: Look for branches that are dead, diseased, broken, or have weak attachments. Prune them back to their point of origin.
  • Thin for Airflow and Light: Remove branches that grow inwards, creating a dense canopy. This allows for better air circulation and sunlight penetration to reach lower branches and the interior of the tree.

2. Crown Raising

This technique increases the clearance beneath the tree’s canopy. It’s ideal for trees with low-hanging branches that obstruct walkways, driveways, or sightlines. Here’s how to raise the crown: 

  • Identify the Desired Clearance Height: Decide on the appropriate height for clearance beneath the tree.
  • Remove Lower Branches: Selectively remove branches that hang below the desired clearance height. Maintain a natural branch structure by making cuts just outside the branch collar.
  • Avoid Drastic Changes: Raise the crown gradually over a few years to minimize stress on the tree.

3. Deadheading

This method involves removing spent flowers or flower clusters. It encourages new blooms in some flowering trees and improves the overall appearance. Here’s how to deadhead: 

  • Identify Spent Blooms: Look for flowers that have begun to wilt or brown.
  • Make Clean Cuts: Using pruning shears, clip just above a healthy set of leaves or a node (a slight swelling on the stem).

Remember: These are just basic techniques. For specific pruning methods for your tree species, consult a reliable source or consider consulting a certified arborist for guidance.

Additional Tips for Success

  • Start Small: Begin with minor pruning tasks and gradually progress to more complex cuts as you gain confidence.
  • Make Sharp Cuts: Sharp tools make clean cuts that heal faster and minimize the risk of disease. Sharpen your tools regularly.
  • Clean Up Properly: Dispose of pruned branches and debris responsibly. Consider chipping them for mulch or taking them to a designated yard waste disposal facility.
  • Know Your Limits: Refrain from attempting to prune large, mature trees or trees with significant disease or structural issues. Leave those to the professionals.

By following these tips and information, you can become a confident DIY tree pruner in Newmarket. Remember, proper pruning is an investment in the health, beauty, and safety of your trees, enhancing your property and contributing to the overall urban forest of Newmarket.  For more in-depth knowledge or for complex pruning needs, don’t hesitate to seek the expertise of a certified arborist. Happy pruning!

At Dave Lund Tree Service & Forestry Co. Ltd., our primary goal is always our clients’ tree-related needs. When you contact us for help with your trees, you aren’t just getting professional assistance and advice, you’re getting help from a service that puts you first. We have over 40 years’ experience working with clients like you, and we put that experience at your service. Give us a call now at (905) 884-0511 to get the tree TLC you deserve.