If your tree looks unhealthy, it’s even more of a reason not to risk bad tree pruning. Working with an experienced company like Frank’s Arborcare LLC for tree services in Darien, CT, is a much better way to ensure your tree can recover. As a team that’s passionate about keeping plants healthy, we want to help you avoid common tree care mistakes, including the five listed below.
The Problem With Improper Pruning
What happens when a homeowner doesn’t properly prune a tree? Problems pile up. You might see an unbalanced canopy that leaves it susceptible to toppling in high winds or a lack of nutrients that kills your tree.
Taking a DIY approach to save money is understandable. However, without proper training and pruning equipment, you will jeopardize your tree’s recovery and incur greater expenses in the long term.
Avoid These Five Mistakes To Safeguard Your Trees
Even simple pruning mishaps like bark tears or snapped branches can delay healing and stop the tree from being able to nourish itself. Let’s take a look at some other bad tree-pruning mistakes you’ll want to avoid.
1. Going In Blind
Pruning relies on intentionally removing specific branches that keep the plant healthy. Does your tree need disease management or guided growth? If you have no idea, your pruning could lead to an unbalanced canopy and many other issues.
For example, removing too many branches can leave the plant vulnerable to sunburn-like effects. Eliminating too few can mean the branches buckle in strong winds.
2. Botching the Technique
Bad tree pruning often arises from improper technique. For example, stub cuts occur when you prune too far away from the branch collar (the bulge where the branch meets the trunk). Bad flush cuts happen when the equipment snips the branches flat rather than at 45 degrees.
These techniques can hinder your plant’s healing due to fresh disease entry points.
3. Pruning Whenever You Like
Spring is a time of rapid growth for a tree, so pruning during this season could have dire consequences. Typically, winter is the best time to remove selected branches.
Never remove more than a third of the tree’s foliage at one time.
4. Forgetting About Basic Hygiene
Dull shears? Dirty pruning tools damage the bark and transfer diseases between different species.
Experienced tree professionals always start by sterilizing and sharpening tree-cutting tools. They do this for each plant they prune.
5. Beheading Your Tree
Tree topping cuts off the entire upper section, often leading to structural integrity issues and the tree not being able to feed itself properly. It is one of the most devastating pruning techniques, no matter the species.
An experienced professional may nurse the tree back to health after topping, but most plants never fully recover. If so, removing the tree might be your only viable solution, and you’ll wish you had just called an arborist in the first place!
Contact Frank’s Arborcare LLC for Reliable Pruning
Want to avoid bad tree pruning mistakes? Contact Frank’s Arborcare LLC for a wealth of knowledge about winter tree pruning benefits and more. Get a free estimate by calling (203) 423-9523!
