Pruning Trees and Shrubs

Keeping plants and trees healthy is important to maintain the beauty and value of a landscape. Pruning is the process of trimming a plant to control its growth, improve its appearance, and provide safety or utility benefits. It can be done to any woody plant, including shrubs, vines, berries, and evergreens. Incorrect pruning can damage or kill the plant, but when performed correctly it promotes plant health, beauty and safety.

Pruning can also be used to remove diseased, dead or damaged limbs from a tree or shrub. This can prevent the spread of disease throughout the entire plant and help reduce the risk of injury or property damage during storms or severe weather conditions. It is very important to prune trees and shrubs on a regular basis to ensure the overall health of the plant and to promote vigor and plant regrowth.

In addition to removing limbs that are diseased, dying, or broken, pruning can also help to stimulate new growth by removing old, damaged or crossing branches. This allows the remaining limbs to more fully utilize sunlight for photosynthesis and energy production.

Proper pruning can also increase the light penetration of a tree or shrub into a landscape. Overgrown limbs can block sunlight from reaching other parts of the plant and cause a sparse, unhealthy look. Removing these limbs will allow the other limbs of the plant to grow, providing more foliage and an overall healthier appearance to the landscape.

When pruning a tree, always make your cuts at an angle that is no more than 45 degrees from the branch you are cutting to. This will minimize the wound size and speed up the healing of the cut. It is also important to disinfect pruning equipment between uses with alcohol or a commercially formulated product, such as pruning paint. Using a clean knife every time you prune will greatly reduce the risk of spreading disease from one plant to another.

Pruning is usually done in the winter when the plant or tree has lost its leaves, but can be done at other times as well, depending on the type of work that needs to be completed. Some types of pruning, such as crown lifting, should only be done in late winter or spring before the plant begins to grow. This is because these plants typically flower on the wood produced that same year and if they are cut too soon, they may be encouraged to produce buds for the following season instead of flowering.

When pruning a plant or tree, it is very important to understand the shape you want the plant or tree to have before making any cuts. An experienced, certified arborist can assist you with the creation of a pruning plan that will achieve your desired results. We can explain the reasons for certain pruning tasks, such as crown cleaning, crown thinning, and crown raising, and can recommend the best tools and techniques to get the job done.

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