Trees provide shade for the environment while it also keeps you warm during the cold months. It reduces soil erosion and greenhouse gas emissions while also cleaning the air. With so many benefits, it’s important that you keep the trees in your garden healthy. Tree pruning is one way of taking care of your trees. Unfortunately, homeowners who aren’t trained to prune can make various mistakes. Find out what these mistakes are so you can avoid making them.
What Is Tree Pruning?
Tree pruning is the most common kind of tree maintenance. Unlike forest trees, city or residential trees require greater upkeep to retain their aesthetic and structural integrity. Aside from promoting the growth of new branches, tree pruning also encourages root growth.
Because bad tree pruning can cause long-term damage, it must be performed by someone who understands the biology of trees.Tree pruning is the process of removing undesirable branches from a tree in order to promote new growth.
Benefits of Tree Pruning
Pruning is one of the most important things you can do for your trees. Below are some of the benefits of pruning:
- It saves your property from damage from fallen branches
Fallen branches can get stuck on the roof and pile up on the ground. Without proper tree pruning, your tree is a constant hazard on the property. When the winds pick up during a storm, be it weak or strong, unmaintained trees can fall over and cause significant damage to your property.
- It helps aid plan health
Pruning is a technique for removing undesirable branches and leaves from trees. It fosters new growth and provides for more equal growth of the tree.
- It helps maintain family safety
Dead branches can break off and fall on the roof or the ground, causing damage. These fallen branches can be dangerous to you and your family since they can cause you to trip or injure you. You also have to be mindful of more than just falling branches. There could also be nests on those branches, causing extra harm to you and your family if they fall.
Types of Tree Pruning
Different pruning strategies are required for different trees, and different aims necessitate different pruning approaches. It’s also good to identify what trees grow the fastest or what trees require less maintenance. This way, you’ll have an idea what method you need and how often you have to do it. The right cutting tools and techniques are essential for the plant’s overall health, disease control, productivity, and the creation of a strong structure.
- Thinning
The wood is removed from its original location when tree branches are cut. This promotes little growth if used only in moderation. Because the wood is returned to the crotch, the operation is also known as drop-crotching. Prioritize crossed, rubbing or damaged limbs and stems. When you’re pruning, take a step back to make sure you’re obtaining an even inner wood removal.
Raising
Low-levelled branches are frequently trimmed in this approach to allow for safe and simpler pedestrian movement, as well as safer parking spaces and entryways.
- Reduction
This is most typically utilized to make more space for electrical lines by reducing the tree’s volume for safety reasons.
When to prune trees
When tree pruning is to be done, it has to be done at the appropriate time or your tree will be permanently damaged. Here are some trees and when they should be pruned.
- Early blooming trees
Apricots, magnolias, and flowering plums are some of the first trees to blossom. It’s critical to prune as soon as the tree’s flowering development stage is complete. For example, suppose you had a tree that blooms early in 2022, its blooming growth is at the end of 2021 so it’s best to prune it in 2022.
- Late-blooming trees
Because trees such as dogwoods and American smoke trees bloom in the middle of the year, the best time to prune them is in the early spring.
- Deciduous
These trees shed their leaves every year, and it’s best to prune them in the late fall or early winter while they’re dormant, when the branched framework is easier to see.
Biggest Mistakes Homeowners Make
Pruning may appear to be a simple task. Pick up a pair of shears, chop the branches down, and you’re done. However, this is not the case. Pruning will help you maintain the beauty, shape, and health of your tree if done correctly. If done incorrectly, it can result in costly damage that is difficult to repair, and some problems may be irreversible.
Now that we’ve covered the fundamentals of tree pruning, let’s look at the most common mistakes homeowners make when pruning trees and how to avoid them.
- Pruning without planning
Pruning has many techniques and each one will help you achieve a certain goal. So you have to plan and determine your goals to know what technique you should be choosing. Always think before you prune.
- Wrong timing
When a tree is trimmed during the growing season, it runs the risk of starving because so many leaves have been removed. Droughts are also more common in the summer, and a tree that has already been overpruned will be less adaptable when water is scarce. Removing too many branches could expose previously shaded bark to the scorching sun. It scalds the branch, harming the tree.
- Choosing the wrong branches
Proper pruning is much more than just cutting off any random branch. You always have to start by removing the dead or broken branches before you cut off the others. Next, you can remove branches joining the limb that have v-shaped angles. Always try to trim the thinner branches instead of the thicker ones.
- Using dull tools
We often overlook our garden tools in the garage and until it’s time to use them, we never really think about sharpening them or oiling them so they don’t get rusty. When you’re tree pruning, using neglected tools can cause damage to your tree. Dull tools may not appear to be a major issue, but they can cause significant tree damage. Pruning using dull tools can lead to rough or inefficient cuts that rip or shred the bark, causing more wounds.
- Cutting off the top of the tree
This procedure is referred to as topping, and it is one of the worst things you can do to your tree. Perhaps you’re admiring your tree and see that it’s grown taller since the last time you saw it, so you decide to cut off the entire top of the tree. Don’t. The tree is weakened by topping, and because the top is removed, it goes into shock healing mode. As a result, you’ll probably notice branches emerging in unexpected areas. This is an extremely costly blunder. Rather than chopping off the entire top, trim the tree’s lateral branches to minimize the tree’s overall size.
- Cutting too close to the trunk
These cuts are also known as flush cuts. It removes the branch collar which is the tree’s natural protection boundary. These cuts create unnecessary wounds that are slow to heal.
- Cutting through to the branch collar
The part of the branch closest to the base is known as the branch collar. A bundle of vascular tissue can be found in this section of the branch. If you cut right through the tree, you’ll lose a lot of sap, causing the wound to heal a lot longer.
Homeowners frequently cut right through the branch collar in an attempt to cut branches level with the trunk. Cutting immediately after the branch collar and leaving a 1-inch stub, on the other hand, is the best alternative.
Why Professional Services Are Important
While most homeowners can perform tree services themselves, maintaining your trees is not an easy undertaking. If you want to protect your trees and ensure that they remain healthy, you need to hire a professional. Doing so will allow you to reap the following benefits:
- It helps add visual appeal
- Ensure proper tree pruning
- Prevents property and tree damage
- It’s efficient
- They have the proper equipment
- They’ll provide additional services
When it comes to trees and everything tree trimming, it’s best to leave it to the professionals. Working with trained professionals will transform your lawn into a lush haven.
Contact Dave Lund Tree Service at 1-800-363-0511 for tree services in Bradford or Richmond Hill. Trusting the professionals to care for your trees will make them healthier and even more beautiful.