Trimming or pruning your trees (and some people don’t distinguish between the two) ensures your trees are healthy and beautiful. Trimming lets air circulate among the branches, removes branches that are dead or sick and keeps the tree balanced and symmetrical. But to do it right requires preparation before and some action after. By the way, if you’re one of those folks who think they’ll kill their tree if they even try to trim it, hire a professional arborist to do the job.
What to Do Before
Even before you pick up pruning shears, you need to know when to prune or trim your trees. Some trees or shrubs should be pruned right after they drop their last blossoms in the spring. Others should only be trimmed when they’re dormant (asleep during the winter). Find out the right time to trim your trees.
Inspect Your Trees
Another task to perform before trimming is to inspect your trees. Look for branches that are not just broken, dead or diseased but that cross or are crowded together. Branches that rub against each other cause abrasions that weaken your tree. Crowded branches cut off air and sunlight. Trim these branches first, or have an arborist do it.
Wait Until the Nesting Season Is Over
If your trees or shrubs are the kind that are trimmed in the spring, make sure that no birds or fuzzy little mammals, such as squirrels, are nesting. Wait until the babies leave the nest.
Use the Right Tools and Make Sure They’re in Good Shape
You also need to use the right tools for the job, and make sure that they’re in good shape, whether they’re hand pruners, shears or bypass loppers. These tools need to be sharp enough to slice paper. Dull blades mangle your tree and invite pests and disease.
What to Do When Trimming Is Done
After you’ve trimmed your tree, get rid of the cut limbs, especially if some of them are diseased or infested. Don’t even put these branches in your compost bin.
After the trimming, keep an eye on the tree or shrub to make sure that its wounds are healing and not weeping sap or attracting pests such as wood borers, bark beetles or termites. One thing you really shouldn’t do is paint the cuts from the trimming. Back in the day, even professional tree surgeons used to paint tree wounds with roofing tar or even old house paint. Now people know that painting can lead to rot. Trees, like other living things, can heal themselves.
Sharpen those pruners and loppers, and get to trimming your trees. If you’re still hesitant, hire a professional to do the job. When you need tree trimming services in Vallejo, CA, contact E Z Tree.
