Lacking the proper technique, it doesn't matter when you prune. Pruning timing is best established in consultation with an Arborist. We prune oaks only from October through March. Other trees have specific timing questions based on your goal in pruning.
Winter is an excellent time to prune trees. After leaves fall branch structure is more obvious and pruning can be more effective. Although in some winters with heavy snow cover it's difficult to get a good clean-up job.
Many signals of branch health are apparent in the fall and winter months. Branches lacking any bark are the most obviously dead. Branches with loose bark can be dead or perhaps dying. Branches without the small twigs on the end can be dead, or the branch may be a live stub in which case it should probably be removed. Branches without buds on the ends of the twigs are dead. The least obvious sign of a dead branch is a branch with buds that are dead, dry or under developed. Dead buds on some tree varieties in the Midwest, such as locust, are even frustrating for experienced arborists to determine. To further complicate matters branches with leaves on in the winter (such as Norway Maples) can be newly dead.
Some confuse a large pile of brush on the ground after a tree is pruned with a good job being done. Believe it or not, you pay a professional for what is left on the tree. Our goal when pruning is to make things look natural when we are done. The reaction we are looking for is a quizzical, "Did you get your hair cut?" not a shocked "Wow, it looks like you got your haircut!"
Cutting a branch from a tree properly means leaving the parent branch or trunk on the tree. Usually that means leaving the swelling where the branch and trunk are interwoven, the collar, intact. A flush cut permanently removes the swelling and eliminates the trunk's natural ability to close over the wound.
We do large trees the most benefit by pruning them when they are small. Usually, when an enormous limb comes crashing down in a storm, the best way to have avoided it was to prune it off with a small hand pruner when the tree was young. Many limbs lost to storm damage were entirely predictable.
Oftentimes, in the context of tree service, the terms "pruning" and "trimming" are used interchangeably. But to the experienced arborist there is a difference between the two. Pruning has more of a health connotation for trees and shrubs which could benefit from the removal of infected or broken branches. This also prevents hazards for you and your yard. Trimming has more to do with aesthetics, and deals with shrubs and plants hedges being groomed for design purposes. Trimming can also have health benefits for plants, removing dense branches that could prevent incoming sunlight and moisture.
Vineland goes above and beyond to ensure your lawn is safe and protected. In most cases, we don't need to bring heavy equipment onto the lawn. When necessary, we use cranes to lift logs and brush to the street or other landing areas, preventing any equipment from being on the lawn. However, when needed to finish the job, stump grinders and small turf-tired loaders do need to cross lawns. In these cases we use plywood or other materials to protect the lawn from truck tires.
The process of hiring our team to work on your trees is simple:
This is where you say, ask us a question.