Getting the most out of your trees is important not only to ensure that their leaves stay healthy and look good all year round, but also to improve their appearance and extend their lifespan. After all, plants are living things, so giving them room to grow and breathe is one of the best ways to ensure they stay healthy. But to do that, you need to know exactly how to care for a tree so that it looks its best not only during the season, but all year round. Pruning is a very important maintenance task for that. In this article, I will tell you everything you need to know about pruning the trees in your garden.
Why do you need to prune your trees?
Like other plants, trees have a few basic needs to stay healthy and thrive. The most important of these is light. If they don’t get enough light, they may stop growing altogether, or they may produce excess fruit as they try to store nutrients to survive the lack of sunlight. If you don’t prune your trees, they can overgrow and start to look untidy. This quickly gives your garden a cluttered appearance. Giving your trees a good pruning regularly will ensure that they can grow healthily and beautifully.
How do you know if your tree is unhealthy and needs pruning?
It is important to know when to prune your trees, as well as how much and what to prune them back to. If you don’t know when to prune back your branches, or if you don’t know what to prune back, the risk of damage to the tree is significantly greater. There are a few signs you can watch for that indicate your tree needs to be pruned more than usual. These may include:
The branches look very open or sloppy
The branches and trunk of the tree become almost the same size
The branches and trunk are uneven
Not sure if your tree could use a pruning? Then it’s best to ask an expert. You can then also check the have trees trimmed by that expert, so you can be sure it’s done the right way.
How can you prune trees yourself?
If you want to prune the trees in your garden yourself, you can follow the following steps:
Gather the right tools: without good tools you will get nowhere
Take safety precautions: use good work gloves, wear safety glasses and use a strong ladder
Determine the shape of the tree: this will help you know what to prune and what not to prune
Start pruning: be precise and make sure you don’t take unnecessary risks
If you follow these steps, you will come a long way. Nevertheless, it is also good to keep in mind the following pruning rules:
Prune away a maximum of 20% of the leaf-bearing branches
Always prune a branch at the base
Prune thick branches in two stages
Always prune away main branches growing from outside to inside
Always prune away dead wood
For branches rubbing against each other, always prune away the weakest branch
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