Have you ever wondered why you have to trim and prune your trees? Have you ever pruned your trees? Do you know how to do it properly? Do you know when is the best time to trim them? Do you know why you have to prune them at that time? A lot of questions for something so simple, aren’t they? What if I tell you that it isn’t that simple?
Tree pruning as everything else in the garden has its purpose and is done for the sake of plants. It is very important and has to be done regularly, in order for your trees to grow healthy and strong. Dead and diseased branches and leaves suck the power of the whole tree, because it sends more juices to them to resurrect them. Plants try to keep all their parts strong, but this can be crucial in some cases.
When is the best time for tree pruning?
The best time for pruning for all deciduous trees is when they sleep. Or said in terminology when they are dormant. This usually is late autumn or winter. Of course, some trees, such as cherry, horse chestnut, walnut, birch and maple are exceptions and don’t have to be pruned during the dormant period. They bleed at that time of their lives. The right time to trim these species is when their growth has matured, which sometime around mid-summer. Conifers are also species which are trimmed during summer.
How to prune your trees?
Every tree has to be pruned in its early years, so to form its trunk better. Cherries, for example. You have to separate the trunk into tree thirds in your mind. On the first year of the life of your cherry tree, you have to remove the lowest third, and cut the branches of the second lowest by half. On the second year you remove the second third and then you let your tree be. The trunk has to be formed by the third year, but if it is not, you can repeat the procedure from the beginning.
Mind that all diseased and dead branches have to be removed. You can see how to do it from the pictures in this post. Mind that if you have to do any major surgery and to cut big branches and whole trees, or if you have to work from a chainsaw from a ladder, it is better not to do it on your own. There is a big chance to hurt yourself seriously, so you better hire a professional tree surgeon London to do the job for you.