The trees in your yard make a big impact on your home’s curb appeal, which means you want to take care of them year round. You’ve likely heard that you should only prune trees during winter, and while dormancy is the best time to prune trees, if you notice signs of damage or disease on certain parts of the tree, you can remove these year round. Damage from storms is particularly common during the summer in many areas, and it shouldn’t be ignored. Some trees may also need pruning after flowering or bearing fruit to stay as healthy as possible. If you’re pruning your trees this summer, here are some tips to follow.
Use the Proper Tools
If you don’t prune your trees the right way, you can make them look worse than they did before. Proper tree pruning starts with the right tools. Start with pruning shears for trees. They are easy to use and can be used to prune a variety of different types of branches. If you want to prune branches that are higher up than you can easily reach by standing on a ladder, a pole pruner is a good option.
Only Remove Weak Limbs
When pruning your trees, you don’t want to get rid of healthy branches. Look for branches that are hanging at sharp angles or that are covered in brown leaves when the rest of the tree is green.
Just make sure that you don’t remove the branch collar when you are trimming them. The collar is located where the branch grows from the rest of the tree and will have slightly thicker bark. Removing the collar will prevent the tree from healing correctly.
Evenly Space the Branches
Your trees won’t look lush if you haphazardly trim the branches. You need to make sure you trim them so that they are evenly spaced. It may be helpful to step back on occasion to look at the entire tree. This will allow you to see what branches you need to trim as well as which ones you should leave alone. It’s not uncommon for those that are inexperienced at pruning trees to just want to prune everything. Unfortunately, this will just lead to poor results, and the tree won’t look lush when it starts to grow out.
Research Tree Care Techniques
Pruning your yard’s trees may not be as easy as you think. Because of this, it’s a good idea to research tree care techniques beforehand. This will ensure that you prune your trees the right way and don’t inadvertently cause damage to them.
If you’re not sure where you need to start, you can consult with a tree care service. They can talk to you about your trees’ specific needs, including when you should prune them and how much. They can also give you pruning tips. If you’re still not confident in your ability to prune the trees correctly, they can take care of it for you.
If you want to give your trees a more lush look, you can prune them yourself by doing a bit of research beforehand. The key is to have the right tools and not to try to rush the process. The result will be a more luscious garden for you to enjoy all summer long.
Author Bio
Anita Ginsburg is a freelance writer from Denver, CO. She studied at Colorado State University, and now writes articles about health, business, family and finance. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family whenever she isn’t writing. You can follow her on Twitter @anitaginsburg.