Why Should I Prune Trees and Bushes?
We’ve all seen it, trees that look as if they are growing sideways, hedges that have taken over the garden they are meant to border and highlight. Driving around and seeing a large tree limb growing dangerously close to the roof of a house – leaving you to wonder what a bad storm would mean to that home. The answer is in the maintenance of your yard. Just like a lawn needs to be mowed and watered trees and hedges need to be pruned and shaped to encourage growth.
Pruning is an essential part of proper maintenance for trees and hedges. For young trees its essential to be trained which encourages them to develop a stronger structure. If not trimmed back properly, or not at all, it will become a major job to remove larger branches and the shape of the tree can be deformed. Pruning of both young and older established trees should really be left to professionals. Landscape professionals have proper equipment, know which branches cut to promote crown reduction, thinning or raising. Broken or diseased limbs are not only unsightly they present a safety issue, high winds and winter storms can cause these to break off and they can land on your home, garage, break a window or damage the exterior of your home. Any shrubs or tree branches that obscure the entry to your home or lighting for your home should be cut back for security reasons. While it’s a general rule to prune trees during their dormancy, (winter), there are exceptions. Once trees have dropped their leaves it is easier to identify insect infestations and diseased or dead limbs. These need to be removed as soon as you identify it. That way it prevents disease to spread to healthy areas of the trees and does not effect growth.
Hedges require frequent pruning to maintain a uniform height, shape and be visually pleasing to the eye. Once the hedge reached its desired height new growth needs to be pruned back. Shrubs that bloom new growth in fall or summer should be pruned in the winter, this encourages plenty of new growth the following spring.
It is advised to have an experienced landscaping company prune your trees and shrubs. Inexperience can cause inadvertent but costly mistakes. With a professional you are insured of proper pruning at the correct time – which will insure your having a beautiful lush growing season in the spring.
