When it comes to the question, “What time of year is best for tree tree pruning?” The answer is sometimes indirect.
Tree type usually dictates when many species can be trimmed, along with insect population and activity, local tree and plant diseases and other species of plants and trees in the landscape.
With the guidance of a certified arborist in Arkansas, you can figure out what season is the best for trimming your trees to set them up for success next season and every year after that.
Best Season to Trim Trees
Without any other information, AR Tree Trimming recommends pruning trees in the winter. This would be sometime from November to March in most areas. Winter is ideal because the trees are usually dormant, so pruning will cause the least amount of harm, if any.
There are a lot of benefits to pruning trees during the winter:
Lower risk of pest damage and disease – Pests and plant diseases are usually inactive in the winter in Arkansas. Throughout the rest of the year, anything from insects to fungus can affect a freshly trimmed tree because the tree is most susceptible and these issues are more common during warmer weather.
Easier to see the shape of the tree when the leaves are gone – Leaves stop your arborist from seeing the overall shape of a tree. When the tree branches are bare, it is a lot easier to identify dead or diseased limbs and branches that are touching versus those that are just close together.
Trees can heal before spring – By performing significant pruning in the winter, your trees will have several months to build up callus tissue on the ends of the remaining branch collar. By spring season, you’ll hardly be able to notice where the branches were trimmed, and the tree will be able to use its energy to produce brand new leaves, fruit or flowers rather than healing new cuts.
Less chance of harming nearby landscape – Most of the surrounding trees and plants will also be dormant, so there is a lower risk of them. Most of the time, a tree is surrounded by annual plants in the warmer months, but there are no plants to be disturbed in the winter since these annuals have already died out.
Do All Trees Need Trimming?
Yes, all trees can benefit from annual pruning. Tree trimming each winter is good for the trees, but it is also a precaution for the safety of your property and your family and neighbors. Let us explain:
Trimming Makes the Tree Healthier
Dead and diseased branches are cut off, as are stubs that are prone to pests and disease. Branches that can rub one another are also pruned so they don’t weaken one another or cause an open wound on the tree.
Trimming trees each year is also a good way to get an expert’s opinion on your trees so that early warning signs of decay, disease and pest infestations can be spotted and handled right away.
A Cared-For Tree Serves Its Purpose Better
When a tree is overgrown, it starts to be hard for water and nutrients to reach every branch. This can leave the tree looking weak and sick and definitely not doing what it’s intended to do.
Trimmed trees, on the other hand, produce more fruit, healthier leaves and offer better shade. They are much fuller and healthier and less likely to cause landscaping issues. So regardless of why you planted a new tree, routine trimming each winter will improve the results you want from it.
Trees are More Beautiful After Trimming
If the curb appeal of your landscaping is important to you, tree pruning is a necessity! Pruning trees creates an attractive, uniform shape and size. This is important if you have a lot of identical trees on your property.
Removing lower branches and upper branches that grow at improper angles enhances the overall look of the tree while also promoting tree health.
Less Risk of Falling Branches
Tree trimming – done the right way – helps the remaining branches to grow healthier and stronger. Therefore, storms and high winds won’t damage your trees the way they would an unkempt tree. Your home and family will be safer living under and around pruned trees.
Another safety concern for large trees is that they can block the view of traffic lights, road signs and driveways. Tree trimming, crown raising and other specialized tree care services will keep the tree at a manageable size and stop it from blocking various views.
Call AR Tree Trimming for Tree Pruning
Working with a certified arborist in Arkansas gives you access to their expert knowledge on the subject of tree trimming. We recommend relying on their expertise if you have trees on that you’d like to keep healthy for a long time.
An arborist won’t just consider the immediate situation. Instead, an arborist will take the time to inspect your trees and understand their unique scenario (including their location and other factors that could put them at risk of disease or infestation). After gathering all of the information, an arborist will suggest a long-term plan based on your trees’ needs and stick to that plan until your goals for your trees are achieved.
This plan might take many years to implement, but rest assured, it will result in healthy trees that you and your family can enjoy for many years to come.
This kind of annual care will result in healthy tree growth, help your entire property fight off plant diseases and enhance flower or fruit production from the trees. It will also fortify your trees so there is less risk of falling trees or branches.
Being proactive about tree pruning can save you a lot of money over time as well. Preventative care is much more affordable than the cost of emergency tree services, storm damage cleanup or curing an ill tree of a disease that has spread out of control (and one that was easily preventable).
If you care about the health of your trees and the curb appeal of your landscaping, trust a certified arborist for tree pruning and maintenance from AR Tree Trimming. Find our service area here. We work with arborists across the entire state of Arkansas. Call today!
