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Trees care is an important task required by tree growers. Trees can give you fresh air and provide shade around the house but thick scattered trees can be harmful to you and pedestrians, particularly in the windy season.
Pruning should not only be done for safety reasons, proper pruning can keep your trees healthy and make them grow more beautifully. For tree owners who want to try pruning their own trees, here are some tips for why, when and how to prune. For those who own giant trees, you may need a professional like The Tree Firm.
Reasons to Prune
There are many reasons to prune your trees. They may be dead, infected with diseases, growing across other limbs or disturbing your neighbours. Here is a list of reasons to prune your trees. If you pay little attention to them, they may need pruning.
Health – Always look for dead or damaged branches to prevent the spread of disease, insects, and decay. Cut down the branches on the top to allow light and air down. Flowing air and sunlight can prevent diseases. Trim down the branches that go across each other as they can be damaged when rubbing against each other. Water sprouts consume water and nutrition from your trees, so remove them.
Safety – Your trees can be dangerous during rainy and windy seasons. Yearly pruning is required. Chop down narrow tree crotches to avoid them breaking or tearing. Cut off dominant branches on the top of the tree to prevent them tearing apart from heavy winds.
Pruning correctly can also help with creating, developing and maintaining trees. It also prevents branches from growing in random directions.
Stimulate and Restrict Growth – The proper amount of pruning can stimulate growth in specific parts while pruning a whole undesirable part can prevent growth.
When to Prune
Trees need regular care. If you see any dead branches or those subject to damages or diseases, prune them off as soon as possible to prevent theses spreading. The best time to do pruning is before the trees begin to bud their leaves; late winter to early spring. The times that you should avoid doing it, if you need to stimulate growth, is extremely hot and cold periods.
Winter is the best time to do pruning, as it is the time before a new growth in the spring. Wait for the cold to pass by and start to prune. Some trees such as maple and walnuts will ‘bleed’ during this time. Make sure you prune the trees after the little leaves open to stimulate them to grow.
Summer pruning is the time for preventing growth. The reasons to do this are to reduce the thickness of leaves, crossing branches and reducing the production of food in undesirable areas.
Do not prune in autumn because fungi are spreading during this time. Wounded branches will easily defect.
How to Prune
The first step to do is planning where to cut. Check the thickness to see if you can do it by yourself or if you need The Tree Firm to handle it for you. Plan the equipment that is needed such as a hand pruner, pruning saw, and lopper.
After you have finished preparing, it is a time for you to prune. Identify where the major branches are and avoid cutting them. Look for damaged or defected branches first. Then, search for the crisscrossing branches to let the air flow. Cut down any branches that are obstacles, blocking walkways or encroaching on your neighbours. Check your tree’s shape and prune the odd branches to keep your tree shapely. Consider every cut because too much cutting can damage your tree.
