It’s the month of love, a time to express your love and appreciation for your family, friends, and trees! Trees are MVPs. They provide shade, oxygen, and beauty, while creating healthy habitats for the wildlife in our yards that we enjoy watching—we would enjoy life a lot less without them.
Your trees do so much for you, why not spend some time showing your trees some love this month? How can you do that? By pruning!
Why do you need to prune your trees? You prune to:
● Remove diseased or damaged limbs. Damaged and diseased limbs drain valuable energy and resources away from the healthy parts of the tree. Removing them spares the tree from further damage or infection.
● Control the size and shape of your tree. Keeping your trees strong and balanced protects your property from potential damage caused by breaking limbs. Properly shaping your tree will also ensure that you don’t have overgrown tree limbs interfering with power lines, buildings, or vehicles.
● Encourage new growth. With the growing season beginning in several weeks, removing unnecessary limbs or branches frees your tree to expend all its energy in creating new, healthy growth and beautiful foliage.
● Prepare your trees for spring showers and storms. Thunderstorms and strong winds can take a toll on trees with damaged limbs. Limbs that split off a tree expose it to disease, fungus, and insect invasion, not to mention the damage falling limbs can cause to the rest of your property.
Pruning is vital to maintaining your tree’s health, and pruned trees will be stronger, healthier, and more beautiful. February is the ideal time to prune your trees as most deciduous trees (trees that lose their leaves at the end of the growing season) are still dormant, and the lack of foliage makes it easy to determine where to prune.
How do you prune your trees? Here are a few things to keep in mind as you get started.
● Less is more. Remember, you can always cut more in the future, but you cannot put the severed limbs and branches back on. Take your time and think through what you really want to prune before you make the cut. You can also research pruning based on your tree’s type, age, size, and your growing region.
● Prune low-hanging branches. Low-hanging branches can eventually reach the ground, which raises the risk of damage from disease or pests. It can also create hazards for your property, and these branches can be more susceptible to damage in storms. You’ll want to cut these branches once they reach about an inch in diameter, and definitely before they touch the ground.
● Remove crossed branches. Branches that grow back toward the trunk or cross other branches can cause damage to your tree by chafing the bark and exposing the tree to disease and insects. Branches that grow at awkward angles also have weaker joints and are more easily broken off in storms. Remove these to give your tree trunk plenty of space, ensuring the tree’s limbs and branches can all move and grow freely.
● Get rid of suckers. Suckers are the long shoots that grow out of the base of the tree or from the roots; they are an energy drain on your tree. Removing them will not only make your tree look better, but it will function better as well.
If you are concerned about pruning on your own, you can contact a licensed arborist for expert advice on pruning. For larger pruning jobs that require heavier equipment, contact a professional tree care service that can do the job safely.
Our trees are always giving to us—shady backyard picnics, bird watching, or brilliant fall colors—it’s only right that we pay it back by giving them what they need to thrive and be healthy. Show your tree a little love this month with some pruning!
Looking for advice on how to prune your trees? We can help. Advanced Tree Care combines top-notch equipment, cutting-edge technology, and well-trained staff to provide emergency tree removal and tree maintenance services. With a presence in nine counties and two states, we work daily to provide unparalleled customer service, safety, and efficiency—as well as the expertise to beautify your landscaping and community. Advanced Tree Care isn’t just our name—it’s also our purpose!