Time for Tree Trimming: 3 Reasons to Prune Your Trees this Winter
Austin Tree Trimming
Fall is in full swing, which means cooler temperatures, leaves on the ground, and the impending holiday season. It also means it’s time to start thinking about maintaining your trees through trimming and pruning. The best time for tree trimming is between October and June, due to several factors including the lower heat index (this is especially true for central Texas) as well as the dormancy of the trees. Most trees are dormant in winter and pruning is best done while trees are dormant, making it an ideal time. Trimming the trees over the winter months also helps promote their growth come spring.
But why even bother with pruning or trimming? Is it worth the time and effort? Is it necessary? Although allowing your trees to grow naturally is generally a great practice, there are a few reasons why you may want – or need – to help them out through trimming.
Enhance Appearance
Of course, a main reason people choose to trim their trees is for aesthetics. Trimming helps to ensure your trees look visually pleasing, and retain the approximate size and shape that you desire. It also keeps them within the space available within a backyard or landscaping bed. While it’s not possible to reshape a tree entirely, it is possible to control or mold the size of a tree to some extent, and to ensure it stays within the size of the space where it’s planted. When it comes to trimming for aesthetics, however, it is important to be moderate and do so within reason. It’s never good to try to force your tree to do something drastic or unnatural, and over-trimming can actually result in damage.
Keep It Healthy
Sometimes, trimming is necessary to improve tree health or save a tree that is sick. If you have an infected tree, you may be able to improve its health by pruning some of the infected branches or areas depending on the type of illness and how far it has spread. The crown of the tree is important for airflow, for example, so if your tree is lacking oxygen you could thin it out and to help address the problem. If your tree has some spots that are infected or branches that are dead, you could improve its health by decluttering them and removing branches that seem impacted or like they might fall off. A few small and carefully-targeted trims could do wonders for the health of your plants.
Stay Safe
Of course, safety is another reason to trim a tree. Whether it’s old, sick, or simply unwieldy, trees with large or brittle branches can pose a safety risk in your yard. The branches could fall off and harm people or pets in the yard potentially, or even damage your home or backyard furniture if they were to fall. Additionally, trees that have grown outside their original areas and near to power or utility lines pose a risk of damaging the lines or causing a power outage if there is a storm. This is unsafe at the worst and inconvenient at best, and one of the major reasons people trim trees is to avoid these mishaps and power interruptions.
Time To Trim
Tree trimming is certainly something you can tackle yourself, but if you don’t want to deal with the ins-and-outs you can also hire a professional to prune your trees for you. A professional will have expertise and knowledge you may not personally have, to ensure trimming is done safely and in a way that is most effective for the tree. If you do decide to DIY, it’s important to pay attention to your work and be sure you’re informed before you start. Check out a blog post or conduct some online research to learn more about which branch types and sizes to trim, and the best trimming distances to maintain. This will help protect both the tree and yourself as you go about the process.
Looking for some help with your tree-trimming process? Don’t want to DIY? Grassworks is experienced at pruning and trimming, and here to help with all your lawn or landscaping-related needs.
Ferris MyCue is the founder and owner of Grass Works Lawn Care, LLC located in Leander, TX. As a former firefighter who maintained yards on his days off, he saw a need for a dependable, local maintenance company that knew the hill country climate and could deliver quality landscaping services for a reasonable price. Since 2007 he has used his leadership to grow the company into one of the top landscape maintenance companies in Austin and surrounding areas offering landscape maintenance, design, and irrigation services to both residential and commercial clients. Ferris is also a member of the Seasonal Employment Alliance (SEA) and an active participant in advocacy efforts to help promote cap relief.