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4 Spring Pruning Tips for Your Trees

5/24/2016

3 Comments

 
Picture
​It’s spring again, and you’re probably looking for useful pruning tips to guide you through the 
landscaping season. You want your yard to look beautiful and live up to its potential! 
The following pruning tips and guidelines will help you understand how to care for your trees 
throughout the upcoming spring and beyond.  
 
1. Use the Right Tools for the Job  
 
When it’s time to prune, any expert will tell you that the tools you use are important. It is 
vital to keep all saw, chains, loppers and scissors sharpened and oiled. If you plan on pruning 
a tree that’s infected with disease, disinfect the sheers afterward to avoid spreading it.  
 
In general, hand-held pruners will take care of branches with a diameter of up to one half of 
an inch. A pruning tool with long handles can take care of thicker branches, but pruning saws 
may be needed for larger branches. Whichever tool you use, you have to be able to make a 
clean cut to limit the damage to the tree.  
  
2. Time it Right  
 
Even though spring is the season you personally come out of hibernation and start spending 
more time outside, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s the best time to prune. In fact, one of 
the main pruning tips you’ll hear from industry professionals is that it’s better to prune in the 
winter, before trees begin to flower. Why?  
 
In the spring, the plants are working harder to grow, flower and flourish. Their energy stores 
are depleted, and thus they will not recover as quickly from pruning. That being said, you can 
prune to some degree anytime, but keep in mind that the longer you wait after the buds start 
breaking, the less aggressive you should be. If you would have removed 15% - 20% in late 
winter, you may only take 10% in late spring. 
 
If you’re only doing a light pruning, it’s acceptable to prune in June, after most of the 
flowering has taken place. And if you’re eyeing those dead branches, don’t hold back — you 
can prune those any time of year.  
 
3. Trim Trees While They’re Young 
 
Trimming trees when they are fully grown is much more complicated than helping a tree 
grow properly from the start. If you have young trees on your property, now is the time to be 
conscientious about your pruning. You can influence healthy, stable growth by removing any 
forked tops and make sure that all branch removal cuts form a tight V shape so the tree won’t 
be off balance and pose a danger in the future.  
 
4. Follow the ¼ Rule  
 
Don’t ever remove more than one-quarter inch of a tree’s branches in one year. When you prune too severely, it can have detrimental effects and lead to sprouting in the root area or at 
the site of the cut.  
 
Remember, you should never try to remove large tree branches on your own. Call a certified 
arborist
 
when you have doubts about your pruning skills, and work with a specialist who will 
ensure your tree gets the best care possible. Contact Rivendell Tree Experts for a free quote and 
more pruning tips for your yard. 
 

3 Comments
Alice Carroll link
3/12/2020 11:19:46 pm

I'll make sure to remember to not remove more than 1/4 of an inch of a tree's branches in a year. I never knew that before but luckily, I wouldn't have been able to do that even if I wanted to because I have a bad knee and using stepladders to reach high branches is practically impossible for me. Maybe I should just hire tree pruning services in order to groom my oak.

Reply
Adam Golightly link
8/10/2020 03:41:56 pm

My wife always complain about this redwood that we have in the backyard that we didn't plant there and it really annoys her. She would really like to get some help from a professional to get rid of it or trim it because it is overgrowing and scraping against the home. I'll be sure to tell her about how she should make sure that trimming should be done before flowering when they have more energy and can recover quickly and make sure that they have the right equipment.

Reply
Bob link
9/15/2020 02:39:07 pm

I like what you said about energy stores being depleted of plants in the springtime. I think 2 of my trees are diseased. I'll have to consider getting them prunes around the edges.

Reply



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