Have your trees grown unkempt, overgrown, thick, or unwieldy? If so, they need the care of a professional tree service. But do your trees need trimming or pruning? Although most people use these terms interchangeably, they aren't quite the same.
To help you provide the best care for your trees, here are answers to your questions about tree trimming and tree pruning.
What Is Tree Trimming?
Tree trimming is generally focused on the aesthetics and proper shape of the tree. It has often been likened to giving the tree a regular haircut. Trimming involves cutting back overgrown sections, reshaping the tree to the desired look, and controlling growth.
When you trim a tree, you stimulate more growth in the right areas, keeping the canopy healthy and lush. But it also helps encourage more fruit to grow, so it's often a necessity for healthy fruit production. However, trimming also prevents a tree from growing too far in the wrong way, such as toward power lines or interfering with other canopies.
What Is Tree Pruning?
Pruning a tree is a bigger project and involves more strategy. It focuses on the removal of problem elements rather than just controlling these. Dead, diseased, broken, or infested limbs are removed to protect the tree and reduce falling hazards. Co-dominant stems may be scaled back to keep the tree strong over time. The canopy is thinned out to boost air circulation and light. And unwanted limbs are excised to train growth in the right places.
Pruning often results in more volume loss and a more stark change in the tree. The tree will need time to recover, so pruning is best done during dormant seasons.
How Are Both Managed?
The regular maintenance of trimming and the more serious repairs of pruning work hand-in-hand with one another. The work of trimming takes place more often — usually a couple of times a year. You might need to prune annually, but it can often wait even longer in an established and healthy tree.
When you have regular trimming done, tree care professionals also assess the tree's health up close. This helps them determine the right schedule and goals for pruning.
Where Can You Learn More?
Whether you need just a trim or more serious pruning, start by meeting with an experienced tree care service today. With their guidance, you'll be able to enjoy your tree for many years to come. For more information on tree pruning, contact a professional near you.
After I decided to list my home for sale, I realized that there were a few things I needed to do if I wanted to sell my property quickly. For starters, I knew that I needed to have a few trees in my yard taken down, since they were too big and blocking the view of the street. I also wanted to have the trees in my yard pruned so that they would bloom properly in the spring. After they were trimmed, the entire yard looked incredible. Check out more about tree trimming by reading this handy website. You won't regret it!