Spring is the season for cleaning. Just like you clean your home, you should also pay some attention to your garden or lawn. They also require maintenance to remain attractive and appealing. In fact, pruning your garden plants can help in keeping them healthy. However, there are a few things you need to understand about tree pruning in the spring season.
#1. Can Pruning Be Done During Spring?
The right time to prune a tree depends on the species. However, it is possible that pruning during spring can affect the bloom potential of the plants for the rest of the year. As such, you must always limit the amount of pruning. The maximum limit should be 10% of the foliage of the tree and if you do anymore and you are risking the health of the plant.
You should prune in spring for mainly two reasons.
- Safety: In this case, you will be getting rid of dead or dying branches to ensure the safety of the tree and your home.
- Aesthetics: This is done for shaping the plant and making it look beautiful. Aesthetic pruning should be minimal.
#2. Trees That Can Be Pruned During Spring
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| Tree Pruning |
Not all trees should be pruned during spring. The following list contains those plants which can be safely pruned during spring.
- Apricot trees
- Crabapple trees
- Chokecherry trees
- Flowering cherry trees
- Dogwood trees
- Magnolia trees
- Juneberry trees
- Flowering plum trees
- Lilac trees
However, the fact is that the correct time of pruning a tree is dependent on the time it starts to bloom. Keeping this fact in mind can help you greatly in future. Trees which flower after midsummer can be pruned safely during spring. Those which bloom in spring, early fall or winter can be pruned as soon as their flowers have faded. Here are a few examples of trees and their timeline for pruning.
- Early Spring: Cherry, Apple, Plum and Peach
- Spring: rose, wisteria, and Virginia creeper
- After budding: Rose of Sharon
- When flowering starts: forsythia, rhododendron, climbing rose and lilac
#3. Trees Which Must Never Be Pruned in Spring
There are quite a few trees which must never be trimmed or pruned during spring. You can increase their vulnerability to diseases or insect infestation. Some of those trees are
- Elm: It can increase the risks of Dutch elm disease
- Oak: Risks of oak wilt increases
- Honey locust: This tree can become vulnerable to stem cankers.
- Sycamore: it becomes more prone to anthracnose
#4. Tips for Pruning Trees Correctly
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| Tree Pruning |
When you are pruning, there are a few things which you must keep in mind. Incorrect pruning techniques can result in weak trunks. They can even cause decay and rot to enter the tree and affect its health. The following tips can help you in achieving the best results with tree pruning.
- Get rid of dying or dead branches first.
- Branches and limbs which are growing towards the center of the plant should be trimmed.
- Eliminate limbs which are rubbing together.
- Get rid of narrow angles with a V-shape.
- Always cut close to the branch, bud or the trunk.
- Never let any stubs remain in the trunk or branches.
You should always check if you are unsure about a tree. As such, it can be a good idea to hire a tree specialist to take care of annual tree pruning. Since they are experts, they know when a tree should be pruned and how to take care of it after pruning and can also help you maintain your garden in perfect condition by using the right set of tools for the job ensuring that you get the best results.
