In order to maintain your trees’ health and vitality, you need to trim and prune it regularly. When you have adequate trimming and pruning, this is going to give you control over the appearance and structure of the tree. This will allow you to enjoy them for many years. But do you know when is the best time to trim your different trees? Each tree species needs to be trimmed and pruned at different times in order to maximize the benefits and not hurt it. Our team at Five Star Tree Services wants to go over when you should prune your different types of trees.
Pruning Benefits
When we talk about pruning, this is when you remove twigs, limbs, and branches from a tree in order to increase safety and improve aesthetics. Whenever you cut a tree, each cut is significant. Think of it as a wound you are inflicting on the tree. This means you need to prune with purpose, great care, and justification. When performing tree pruning correctly, there are many benefits:
-gets rid of compromised and weak branches
-overall tree health is improved
-diseased or decaying branches are removed
-flower and fruit production is increased
-air flow and light penetration to the canopy is improved
-wind and storm damage is decreased
-tree structure and integrity is corrected
-aesthetic is enhanced
When to Prune Based on Type of Tree
Since you are cutting your trees and creating an open wound, you do not want to be doing this all the time. However, if you are lightly pruning away dead or broken branches, you should be ok to be doing this any time of year that it becomes necessary. But for substantial pruning and trimming, you are going to want to make sure this is only done once a year and during the right time of year. Different trees can be pruned at different times without hurting them.
Fruit & Flowering Trees
When you prune a fruit or flowering tree, this is to help maximize the blooms and fruit production. Yearly pruning is going to help keep it healthy and vibrant. You can create a strong and functional structure by making sure to remove diseased, dead, or dying branches. You should only be pruning these trees during the time they are dormant, most often from December to mid-February. If you prune too early, such as in the fall, this can cause dehydration. If you prune too late in the spring, this can be detrimental to bud development. When you get professional pruning services from your local arborist, this will give you high-quality results.
Deciduous
These are the trees that have leaves they grow in the spring and shed in the fall. Some of these trees include Black Walnut, Oak, Birch, Aspen, and Maple. You can either prune these trees in the late fall, once all the leaves have fallen off or during the winter, when they are dormant or “asleep”. In addition, lean towards the latter when deciding when to prune, for winter is the best time, not only because you have the least likely chance of harming the tree, but because insects and diseases are also inactive during this time.
Evergreen/ Coniferous
These are the trees that stay green and keep their foliage all year round. These tend to not have “leaves” but needles instead. Some of these trees include Black Spruce, Red Sedar, Balsam Fir, Eastern Hemlock, and Jack Pine. For these trees, you should hardly need to prune them because they usually grow in a stable pattern. The only time you will really need to prune them is for disease management or for safety (needing to remove dead or dangerous branches). But there are some shrubs and hedges that will require more frequent pruning in order to keep up a nice aesthetic. You can prune these trees in early spring but make sure to do it before buds form and the growing season starts. Doing this will help to maximize healing and allow new buds to develop. Do not prune these trees in the fall.
How Five Star Tree Services Can Help
There are so many benefits that tree trimming and pruning has. With regular tree maintenance, you can ensure your trees are healthy, safe, and beautiful. Our team at Five Star Tree Services have extensive knowledge on tree management and health. If you would like to utilize our tree trimming in Richmond Hill, contact us today at (416) 990-3355!