While we might be in the depths of winter, that’s no excuse to neglect your gardening duties. As an annual gardening checklist will show, tree trimming maintenance is one of the most important year-round tasks for any homeowner.
Keeping your trees in good shape will protect your property, keep it looking pretty, and reduce the chances of any costly or dangerous problems further down the road. If you have a tree on your property, you’ll want to get the tree-trimming process right the first time around.
With that in mind, here are the most common tree-trimming mistakes you need to avoid.
1. Improper Hygiene
Even a healthy-looking garden can be swimming with plant diseases. The last thing you want is to spread those diseases to perfectly healthy trees when doing your gardening.
While it can be very difficult to spot which of your plants are diseased, the signs are there if you know what to look for.
The best precaution you can take is to always disinfect your tools when moving from one tree to another. This will help to keep any diseases contained to a single plant.
2. Cutting the Wrong Branches
When a tree is looking overgrown and unseemly, it can be tempting to go all-in with the trimming. However, you should always exercise restraint.
If you cut the wrong branches, you are likely to kill your tree for good, with no hope of it coming back to life. Try to avoid cutting very large branches, especially those that are over 4 inches in diameter.
Also, try to avoid “topping” the tree, which means cutting the main trunk at a point along the tree’s length.
3. Cutting at the Wrong Time
While trees can be trimmed during most of the year, you should avoid doing so during the peak growing season, which is usually early summer.
If you do this, you risk starving your tree of the leaves it needs to capture light and nutrients during its most important growth phase.
The best season for tree trimming is nearly always the winter time when pests are less active and natural daylight hours are a minimum.
4. Using the Wrong Tools
Tree trimming is difficult, often dangerous labor. You must make sure you use the right tools to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
This usually means having some sense of proportion. For example, never use a chainsaw to prune branches, as the risk of injury is high.
Make sure your tree trimming supplies are in good shape and free from rust, and always wear gloves and safety goggles when trimming.
5. Going Too Far
It can be tempting to trim as much as possible in one session in the hopes that this will increase the time until the next trimming is due. However, you must be careful not to go too far.
Remember, a pruned branch on your tree is essentially an open wound. The more you trim, the more vulnerable you are, leaving the tree to diseases and structural problems.
This is why it is often best to consult a professional tree trimming service, which can tell you how far to go with your particular tree.
Avoid Common Tree Trimming Mistakes with Professional Help
The most common tree-trimming mistakes are easy enough for almost anyone to make.
That’s why keeping a tree alive and healthy on your property may be much more difficult than you first thought. If you’re worried about getting it wrong, you should absolutely call in the professionals.
At Grace Tree Service, we offer expert, affordable tree trimming in Kokomo, IN, for trees of all shapes and sizes. Get in touch with our friendly and professional team today to find out what we can do for you.