Tree Trimming Must Be Done Regularly for Tree Health—Here’s Why

Take a peek at the beautiful trees in your yard. Gorgeous, right? But let me tell you, it takes some work to keep them that way! Giving your trees a trim on the regular is key for their health.

Learn when you should be snipping those branches!

How Often Should I Break Out the Pruners?

Here’s the scoop on how frequently your trees need a haircut:

• Fruit trees are high-maintenance honey bunches. Prune them yearly for tasty fruits!
• Young trees need more careto grow up strong. Trim every 2-3 years.
• Mature trees can go a little longer between cuts, about every 3-5 years.
• Safety first! Trees by roads or power lines need more frequent trims.

When in doubt, call an arborist. They can check if your trees need pruning that year.

Call R & S Landscaping at 505-271-8419 right away to receive assistance with spring tree pruning!

What Happens If You Trim Trees Too Often?

It’s tempting to go snip-crazy on your trees to keep them pint-sized. But take it from me, trimming too often can really stress them out! Here’s the reason for the season:

• Cutting off too many leaves is like starving your trees. Leaves gather sunlight to feed the tree – without enough, it’ll struggle.
• Going overboard leaves your trees vulnerable to attacks from bugs and diseases. It’s like losing their bodyguard!
• Excess pruning leads to weak branches that can easily snap in storms. Ouch!
• Improper cuts create openings for infections. It’s like leaving the door wide open for unwelcome guests!

Stick to trimming only as needed for that particular tree. Too much pruning does way more harm than good. Trust me on that!

Does Pruning Trees Stimulate Growth?

When you do it right and at the perfect time, pruning can actually supercharge your trees’ growth! Here are some stellar benefits:

• It shapes up scraggly branches and guides the tree to stretch its limbs in the directions you want.
• Thinning out the canopy lets sunlight energize the lower branches and leaves. Photosynthesis for the win!
• Sawing off dead wood allows the tree to focus on its healthy parts – out with the old!
• Careful pruning improves the tree’s foundation so it can support bigger branches.
• Occasional root pruning wakes up the roots to multiply. Don’t go crazy though!

So you see, regular pruning done properly really gives trees a growth boost! Now let’s talk about timing…

When Is The Best Time To Trim Trees?

Spring

To maximize the benefits and give your trees a healthy head start on the growing season, late winter or early spring is prime time for pruning. Here’s why:

• With winter behind them, your trees have stored energy to repair themselves after pruning.
• No leaves blocking the view lets you spot and remove troublesome branches more easily.
• Your trees are still snoozing so you won’t disrupt their food production.

Pruning in spring helps kick those lazy trees into high gear for some vigorous summer growth. Just don’t prune spring bloomers until after they flower.

Summer

It’s best to resist the urge to prune in the summer, except for damaged branches which you’ll want to chop off right away. Here are the highlights:

• Your trees worked hard to pump out leaves and shoots. Don’t undermine their photosynthesis!
• Fresh pruning wounds attract more insects when trees are actively growing. Pesky bugs!
• Let your trees concentrate on soaking up sunshine in peak season without disruption!

Fall

Once leaves start falling, autumn can be a smart time to prune most trees too:

• With bare branches, you can spot and fix any structural issues. Safety first!
• Your trees are winding down for winter, so wounds heal more slowly but with minimal sap loss.
• Pruning now prevents snow and ice damage to branches you would’ve missed seeing with full summer foliage. Cha-ching!

Fruit Trees Dig Winter Pruning

Most trees would prefer you hold off pruning until late winter. But fruit trees are oddballs – they actually enjoy a winter haircut:

• Some fruit trees are prone to nasty bacteria infections in summer. Prune in winter to avoid issues.
• Winter pruning allows more air and sunlight through the branches, which boosts fruit yield.

Aside from fruit trees, stick to late winter pruning when trees are still dormant.

Don’t Even Think About Pruning When…

• In early spring when sap is flowing – the loss could weaken the tree.
• In summer during active growing seasons – you’ll disrupt food production!
• In very early spring when leaves are still forming – those tender babies are prone to damage.
• In winter when the tree is low on energy reserves – healing will take forever.
• In droughts – extra stress from pruning could overwhelm the tree.
• If you’d remove more than 25-30% of the tree’s canopy – that’s just too much!

Be mindful of what your tree needs when deciding on timing and how much to prune.

Do branches regrow after they have been pruned?

If you make the right pruning cuts, the branch shouldn’t regrow out of control. But bad cuts can create a mess:

• Pruning partway into a branch leaves a stub that often sprouts messy regrowth. Saw it all off!
• Leaving little branch stubs also leads to wonky new shoots. It’s not a good look!
• Cutting off too much causes an explosion of new growth as the tree frantically tries to get its leaves back.
• Pruning paint and sealants trap in disease and create chaos. Let the cut heal naturally.

Moral of the story – proper technique is everything! Make clean complete cuts without stubs, and refrain from going overboard, and you’ll be sitting pretty.

Let The Pros Handle It!

More than you know, those trees need some extra care to stay pretty and healthy! But improper pruning can majorly mess them up. So be sure to call in qualified professionals only!

The tree experts at R & S Landscaping know everything about proper pruning to keep your trees thriving for years. Give us a call and we’ll get your trees looking tip-top in no time!