Trees need pruning to keep them healthy and attractive. Some of the most common reasons are to correct unsafe branch structure, encourage flowering and fruit production, prevent wind damage or to help protect against disease and insects.
Proper pruning also helps trees and shrubs grow correctly, preventing the buildup of dead limbs that can weaken the plant. Dead or damaged limbs can fall during storms, causing property damage, injury or even death to people and pets who are under the tree. Pruning reduces the risk of these types of accidents by maintaining proper distance between the tree and the home or other structures.
Many times, the pruning needs of a plant aren’t immediately apparent. It may take a while before the plant starts to show signs of overgrowth or becoming unhealthy. However, a little bit of periodic pruning can help prevent the problem before it becomes unmanageable and costly.
For example, it’s important to prune deciduous and evergreen shade trees properly. This includes removing crossing or crowding limbs, removing inward-growing limbs and thinning (reducing the density of a crown). It is a good idea to remove any dead or broken branches from a tree as soon as possible to reduce the risk of falling debris during a storm.
Another reason to prune a landscape tree is to eliminate branches that are obstructing sidewalks, driveways, or roads. This is especially true in areas where the traffic volume is high. Pruning a landscape tree to improve visibility can help prevent vehicles from driving into pedestrians and bicyclists.
When performing a reduction cut, it is important to make the cut at least a third — preferably half — of the diameter of the limb you are removing. This leaves sufficient leaf area to take over the photosynthesis work of the branch you are removing, and it helps reduce the stress that the wound will receive during the healing process.
It is also important to preserve the branch bark ridge and collar when removing a limb. This helps to ensure that a callus forms quickly, sealing the cut and preventing fungi from entering the wound and causing decay. A proper cut should also be slanting to help prevent water from collecting in the wound, which can slow the healing process.
The best time to prune is during dormancy, which lowers the risk of infection in open wounds and allows the tree to heal faster. It is also a good time to prune ornamental or landscape trees that bloom in late winter or early spring, such as azaleas, rhododendrons, lilacs, magnolias, flowering plums, and forsythias. These plants bloom on wood that is produced during the previous growing season. By thinning these trees prior to their spring blooming, you can often get an earlier and more abundant bloom. It is important to remember that pruning can be a complex task and that an improperly performed pruning job can harm your plant or even kill it. It’s essential to hire a professional that understands the complexities of trimming large trees and shrubs.
source https://caboolturetreeremoval.wordpress.com/2023/05/17/pruning-trees-for-health-and-attractiveness/
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