Monday, July 8, 2019

When Should You Prune Your Tree?


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As you might already know, pruning your tree is essential to its growth. Pruning not only helps remove dead, diseased or insect-infested branches, it also improves the structure of your trees and the fruits it yields and reduces the risk of those overgrown branches from falling off and hitting a random passer by. 
For the most part, you can do light pruning and removal of dead branches at any point during the year. However, depending on individual tree species, there are more ideal times of the year to prune trees. In this post, we will share with you when those times are.

Winter 

Winter is absolutely one of the best times to prune trees. For one thing, the tree’s structure is more visible with the absence of leaves. When trees are pruned during winter, new growth doesn’t happen until spring when the tree has better access to moisture, sunlight and the nutrients it needs to grow healthy. Another reason for this is that tree diseases, fungus, and insects are usually dormant or at least slowed down during the cold months, so the tree is less likely to be attacked while still recovering from the pruning that has been done.  
Pruning in winter also helps arborists do their job effectively. For us here at Absolute Tree Care Arborists in Abbotsford, Vancouver, the frozen ground during winter helps us to bring our heavy equipment without damaging your landscape. This is especially helpful for large tree pruning jobs. 

Summer

Another good time to prune trees is during the summer. With how quickly trees and shrubs grow during spring, tree owners would usually have to deal with overgrown branches by summer if they failed to prune during winter. Pruning during this season will also help you to direct the growth of your tree; preventing some branches from growing too much. This also helps to get the much-needed sunlight to growing fruit.  
An important guideline for pruning in summer is not to prune too many leaves. Leaves are in charge of producing food for the trees and without them, your tree will lack the nourishment it needs to grow. It’s also important to note that some trees, like oaks and American elm trees, should not be pruned during summer. The pruning “wounds” in such species can attract insect pests that carry oak wilt, or Dutch elm disease.

When you want to enhance the flowering of your trees

Another good time to prune trees is when you want to encourage or trigger more flowering growth in your fruit trees. Trees that bloom in spring should be pruned when their flowers fade. For those that bloom in mid to late summer, it’s recommended to prune in winter or early spring. 
Are you looking for professional tree care services in Burnaby, BC? Give us a call today at Absolute Tree Care Arborists and get a quote for a wide array of services, from tree removals to crown thinning and shrub pruning. We have capable professionals who can handle your tree-related work for you. 
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