Tree pruning is an important element of plant care that is required to manage the health and aesthetic look of the trees. Pruning your trees aims at promoting new growth while also influencing the shape of the tree as it grows. To avoid having trees grow wild and out of control, it’s recommended to have your trees pruned regularly to ensure their health. But when and how often should a tree pruning service be scheduled for your trees? In this blog, we will explain the importance of pruning frequency for different types of trees, as well as the signs of when to prune and the benefits of regular pruning.
Why is Tree Pruning Necessary?
First, people need to understand the significance of tree pruning. Trees are beautiful living organisms that are constantly changing, adapting, and growing. Over time, they can develop dead or diseased branches, which can negatively impact the overall health of the tree. So, regular pruning or trimming because necessary for your tree’s health.
Pruning and trimming are two common techniques used to maintain and shape trees. Although they sound similar, they have distinct differences that are important to understand. Pruning is the process of removing certain parts of a tree or shrub to improve its growth and health. Trimming, on the other hand, is the process of removing all branches growing outside of a tree’s natural shape and structure. This process is often used for aesthetic reasons, and the goal isn’t necessarily to promote the growth or health of a tree.
The main reason for regularly scheduled tree pruning is to keep up to date on safety, appearance, and tree health. Pruning prevents the spread of dead and diseased materials. It’s also important for the safety of others around as some trees could block signs or branches could break off and accidentally injure someone.
What are The Benefits of Regular Tree Pruning?
One of the benefits of regular tree pruning is it can help to prolong the life of your trees. As already mentioned, removing dead or diseased branches keeps the trees healthy. Additionally, regular pruning can help to improve the overall structure and shape of your trees, even making them more resistant to the damaging effects of wind and snow, as the tree grows in size and strength.
Another great benefit? Pruning helps improve the overall appearance of your trees. Pruning can help make the aesthetic of the trees more pleasing to the eye. This can be especially important if you are trying to sell your property or if you want to improve the curb appeal of your home.
Guidelines for Tree Pruning
Tree pruning is one of the most effective forms of tree care. The frequency of when your trees need pruning will differ depending on various factors such as the tree species, age, and maturity. But the general guideline for pruning is the following:
- Large Mature Trees – Need to be pruned or trimmed every 3-5 years
- Juvenile or Ornamental Tree – Need to be pruned or trimmed every 2-3 years
- Fruit Trees – need to be pruned or trimmed each year (to produce larger quantities of fruit)
When scheduling a tree pruning service, they can assess the overall health of your trees and help develop a pruning schedule to follow based on their individual needs. Hiring a tree pruning service can take the stress off a homeowner and leave them to enjoy their yard with no worries.
Other Times Tree Pruning is Needed
Just like life, sometimes the unexpected happens with our trees. While most trees will be fine being checked and pruned by a tree pruning service at the recommended 2-5 year mark, there are some instances where pruning is needed long before the next appointment. These are signs of what could happen to your tree:
- Disease – Weak and decaying branches
- Infestations – Insect infestation and invasive plants
- Overgrowth – Sprouting and dense tree canopies
The effects of the weather are another outside factor to consider when to prune your trees. Areas of storms, high wind, and hard freeze can all damage your trees making tree pruning necessary. Scheduling a tree pruning service can help prevent the risk of unnecessary damage to your home or injury to others by trees affected by the weather.
If you’re still unsure about the frequency of pruning your trees, it would be in your best interest to consult with a tree pruning service. They can determine the frequency and type of pruning needed for your trees and recommend a maintenance schedule.
What Does Tree Pruning Do?
Let’s say that you’ve scheduled a tree pruning service to prune a few trees in your yard. What exactly does pruning do for a tree’s health?
Trees with dead branches are taking up too much of the tree’s energy, interfering with the growth of healthy elements. Pruning dead branches will strengthen the tree, giving it the energy to grow newer branches.
Regular pruning of your trees will reduce the risk of them contracting a disease, and ward off bug infestation, or other invasive plants. The process increases air circulation and sunlight to the center of the tree promoting healthy growth. You won’t be surprised by any signs of bugs or diseases if you stay up to date with the health of your tree. If an issue is ever discovered, you can easily call up your tree pruning service to take care of the problem and help your tree get back to good health.
The same principle applies to fruit trees. Pruning fruit trees reduces the risk of contracting diseases and bugs that interfere with fruit production. Pruning a fruit tree is also the best way to promote fruit growth for the next year and yield better-quality fruit.
Pruning dead branches is important because they pose a danger to people and homes during bad weather. These branches could easily fall off or blow away during cold or stormy weather. For the safety of your home and others around you, knowing when your trees are showing signs of disease and decay could save you from the trouble of dealing with tree damage to the home or a hospital trip.
Sometimes, it’s hard to tell if a tree has dead branches higher up unless you climb it. For this reason, it becomes crucial to hire a tree pruning service to look for any dead trees once every 3 years.
But, for those with shorter trees, a homeowner could choose to prune those trees themselves. To prune shorter trees yourself, look into tree pruners with long-reach poles so that you can keep your own feet safely on the ground
Why Should You Hire a Professional Tree Pruning Service?
There are several reasons homeowners should consider a tree pruning service rather than risk doing it themselves. First, when hiring a tree pruning service they will come to your home with the necessary knowledge about trees and determine the best course of action based on the tree’s specific needs and condition. They’ll share a proper plan and time frame for when your trees need to be pruned and how often.
Secondly, tree pruning can be dangerous, especially for tall and heavy branches. A professional tree pruning service has the necessary equipment and experience to handle tasks safely. A homeowner with no experience might be risking their safety if they attempted to prune their trees.
Finally, a tree pruning service would have the necessary equipment to do the job efficiently and effectively. They’d possess equipment such as tree climbing gear, ropes, and pruning saws. Additionally, a tree pruning service would also handle the removal of debris, making the whole process easier and more convenient for homeowners.
What is the Best Time of Year to Prune Trees?
Generally, the best time to prune or trim trees is between late fall and early spring. In these months, trees become dormant in their growth, meaning the trees devote less of their energy to growing. By the time spring comes back around they are ready with the energy to grow again. If you were to prune during the growing season in spring, trees could lose a large amount of energy trying to grow what they had lost. Conversely in the winter months, it allows for easier identification of the dead or diseased branches and the dormant state can make it less stressful to lose those branches.
The general goal of pruning in the winter months is to keep the branches that support the structure of the tree. Practically speaking, it’s a lot easier to see the true shape of trees in the winter, since their foliage is gone, making it easier to strengthen the tree structure. But pruning too early could leave the “wound” open to dry out as the temperatures outside drop well below the freezing point. An actively growing tree that’s cut, will begin to use its energy to grow and repair that “wound”. That’s not where we want trees to be spending their energy. Scheduling your tree pruning service in the early spring, right before the trees are beginning to move out of dormancy and new growth starts reduces the stress on the tree and encourages the tree to put energy towards producing new, healthy growth when the warmer temperatures of spring roll around.
Schedule a Tree Pruning Consultation
Finally, tree pruning is an important aspect of tree care that contributes to the health and safety of trees. For the eastern Idaho area, it is recommended that homeowners have their trees pruned on a regular basis, with the frequency depending on the species of the tree and its size. But in general, mature trees should be pruned every 3-5 years while juvenile trees should be pruned every 2-3 years to promote growth and maintain shape.
It is best to consult with a professional tree pruning service to determine the appropriate pruning schedule for your trees and to ensure that the job is done safely and effectively. Regular tree pruning can help prolong the life of your trees and improve their appearance. Also having your trees inspected on a regular basis can help identify and address any potential problems. The peace of mind that comes from having a professional tree pruning service taking care of your trees, it’s worth the convenience of scheduling a service.