Trees growing in the woods or forgotten lots don’t get much care, if they get any at all. Trees growing in your yard, though, will need occasional branch pruning to keep them healthy and looking their best. However, cutting tree branches for plant health, safety, or aesthetic purposes involves more than chopping them off randomly, so knowing how to trim trees correctly is a must.
Our experts at Tree Care Inc. offer a wide range of services, including tree trimming in Lexington, KY. To learn some of the pruning techniques our professionals use and discover how to avoid common branch-cutting mistakes, review our post below.
What You Should Know About Trimming Before Cutting Your Trees
While many people use “trimming” and “pruning” interchangeably, they aren’t identical services. They both involve strategically cutting branches, but trimming is more for tree size and visual purposes. Tree pruning is primarily for promoting healthy growth by removing dead, dying, or diseased limbs or thinning out the canopy to allow more oxygen and sunlight to reach lower branches.
When To Prune or Trim Trees
Seasonal pruning is essential for preserving a tree’s health. Even if you know how to trim trees, it’s best to do it only in the winter or early spring when the plant is dormant. Waiting until this time of year is appropriate because it’s easier to see the tree’s structure and afflicted branches after its leaves have fallen. The dormancy also means fewer risks of infection or pest infestation to the open wounds on the tree.
Are there exceptions to this rule? Of course!
You can carefully trim trees that have potentially hazardous overgrowth near rooftops or power lines in the summer. Still, it’s best to wait, if possible.
Do Trees Always Need Pruning?
It’s possible to over-prune mature trees if you cut them too often. When that happens, the plants can push out weakened shoots or water sprouts, which will increase the need for regular tree care.
Yet structural pruning can help young trees with branches under three inches thick develop a strong trunk with spaced-out primary branches. For mature trees, prune only when necessary, including removing compromised limbs and those that negatively affect the plants’ appearances.
How To Trim Trees Safely
Want to know how to trim trees correctly? Here’s what you should do.
Gather the Right Supplies
All tree trimming and pruning jobs need the proper tools, which are:
- Pruning saws
- Pruning shears
- Chainsaws
- Loppers
Everything you use to make cuts on a tree must be sharp and of the right size. Otherwise, you risk causing unnecessary injuries to the tree.
Know the Different Pruning Techniques
When you prune or trim trees, knowing different techniques or practices will help you know how to approach your tree-cutting method. Options often include the following:
- Pollarding. With this technique, young trees (or young branches on mature trees under two inches in diameter) will get annual cuts at the preferred height until the plant forms thick tissue around the wound. This method helps trees re-sprout in certain spots only.
- Topping. With topping, you’d cut all or most of a tree’s branches and leaves within its crown.
- Natural Pruning. This method is ideal for promoting health and beauty because it only reduces dead, diseased, or poorly spaced branches.
Use the 3-Cut Method To Avoid Unnecessary Tree Damage
When it’s time to cut a tree, you want to do so correctly to minimize damage. All cuts are essential wounds to the tree, yet the three-cut method is better for limiting injuries than lopping off a branch at its base.
Here are the steps to the three-cut method:
- Make one shallow cut under the limb roughly two inches from the branch collar where it meets the tree trunk.
- Make a second cut about four inches from the branch collar but on the topside of the branch, and remove the limb.
- Make a final cut to remove the remaining stump just behind the branch collar.
Common Mistakes To Avoid When Trimming Trees
Knowing the best tree trimming tips is only part of what makes a trimming or pruning job effective. It also helps to know what not to do.
Take bad cutting methods, for instance. Flush cuts remove whole branches directly from the branch collar and can prevent the tree from forming a callus around its wound. Stub cuts are another problem; leaving a stub behind makes it harder for the tree to seal its wound, leaving it vulnerable to disease and insect infestation.
Below are other mistakes to avoid when learning how to trim trees.
Practicing the Tree Topping or Lion Tailing Techniques
Even though you know a tree-trimming technique, it doesn’t mean you should do it. Tree topping leads to clusters of water sprouts to compensate for the plant losing its branch leader. It creates an unsightly structure that’ll need more care in the future.
Attempting Large Branch Removal Alone
Trimming small branches may be acceptable for homeowners to do, but large branch removal requires professional help for the following reasons:
- Property damage. Large branch removal requires specialized equipment, tools, and techniques to prevent the wood from falling and causing property damage.
- Safety. Getting rid of big limbs is dangerous and can lead to serious injuries without the right tools and experience.
- Liability. If the limb falls on somebody or their property, you’ll be liable for the damages.
Leave Tree Trimming to Lexington’s Tree Care Experts
Knowing how to trim trees is helpful for small tree maintenance tasks and occasional landscape sprucing. That said, you can make the most of tree health maintenance and preserve the beauty and integrity of your trees in Lexington, Kentucky, by contacting our team at Tree Care Inc.
We have more than 25 years of experience providing exceptional tree care services throughout the community. With our rigorous training, certifications, and direct experience, we know the best time to trim trees and the proper practices to execute the task flawlessly.
See what makes us stand out from others — call (859) 347-2237 today for a free estimate.
