Pruning your plants is essential to promoting positive growth and overall plant health. Removing dead branches cuts down on the risk of insect infestation, disease, and animal habitation. You want your trees and shrubs to look their best before they’re in bloom. That means pruning your plants just before spring when their leaves and flowers have faded, and they’re still in their dormant season.
Pruning Protects Your Trees
By pruning in the late winter, right before the beautiful spring weather begins, the fresh wounds of your plants are only exposed for a short amount of time before the new growth starts and begins the healing process. This is the perfect amount of time between dead leaves and fresh new sprouts. Pruning while the weather is still cold and your trees and shrubs have shed their leaves also means there’s less plant-life in the way. This makes pruning easier because there’s less obstruction and you can clearly see the body and branches of your plant. Pruning at just the right time in the dormant season also avoids diseases like oak welt, fireblight, and stem cankers. Shrubs with hardier stems can be pruned all the way back to the live wood.
Don’t Wait or It Will Be Too Late
By not pruning early enough and waiting too late to maintain the health and look of your plants, you run the risk of not being able to effectively prune. You really shouldn’t trim more than 10 percent of your branches once blooming has already begun. Pruning at peak bloom season also leaves your plants vulnerable to diseases and insect infestation. Conversely, by pruning too late, like in the fall, you’ll encourage new plant growth at a time when your trees and shrubs are ready to go dormant. The result is that you won’t have a healthy plant by the time spring rolls around.
Leave Pruning to the Pros
We know that pruning takes a lot of time and you might be worried about doing it wrong and potentially harming your plants. That’s not to mention the amount of time it takes or the danger involved if you have very large trees. Save yourself the hassle and learn more about pruning by consulting the professionals at Blackhawk Tree Services serving the Raleigh, North Carolina area.
At Blackhawk Tree Services, the experienced and ISA certified arborists are trained to work efficiently at heights up to 100 feet. You can rest easy knowing your yard will look its best without the intense work and the aftermath of dealing with a mess of trimmed leaves and branches. Blackhawk also utilizes thinning techniques to promote airflow within your tree to maintain it’s overall health. No more unsightly mess or dangling limbs creating a danger to walk under or park your car. When those spring storms come, you’ll want to make sure your trees are trimmed back to reduce any risk of damage to your property.
Contact Blackhawk Tree Services today for a consultation and get the yard you want just in time to show off for spring.