When it comes to the question, “What time of year is best for tree trimming?” The answer can be vague.
Tree type often dictates when many species are able to be trimmed, along with pest population and activity, local tree and plant diseases and other plants and trees in the landscape.
With the help of a certified arborist in North Carolina, you can determine what time of year is ideal for pruning your trees to prepare them for success next season and every year after that.
Best Season to Prune Trees
Without any other context, NC Tree Trimming recommends tree trimming in the winter. This would be sometime from November to March in North Carolina. This season is ideal because the trees are usually dormant, so pruning will lead to the least amount of harm, if any.
There are a lot of benefits to trimming trees during the winter:
Less risk of insect damage and disease – Insects and plant diseases are mostly inactive in the winter in North Carolina. During the rest of the year, everything from insects to fungus can harm a freshly trimmed tree because the tree is most vulnerable and these issues are more common when there is warmer weather.
Easier to determine the shape of the tree when there are no leaves – Leaves get in the way of your arborist from seeing the complete shape of the tree. When branches are bare, it is much easier to see diseased or dead branches and branches that are touching versus those that are just close together.
Trees can heal before spring – By performing major pruning in the winter, your trees have several months to rebuild callus tissue on the tips of the remaining branch collar. By the spring season, you’ll barely be able to tell where the branches were trimmed, and the tree will be able to use its energy to produce brand new, healthier leaves, fruit or flowers instead of healing new cuts.
Less chance of harming nearby landscaping – Most of the surrounding trees and greenery will also be dormant, so there is a lower risk of damaging them. Most of the time, a tree is surrounded by annual plants in the spring and summer, but there are no plants to be disturbed during the winter since these annuals already died out.
Do All Trees Need Trimming?
Yes, all trees will benefit from annual trimming. Tree trimming each winter is good for the trees, but it is also a precaution for the safety of your property and your family. Let us explain:
Pruning Makes the Tree Healthier
Dead and diseased limbs are removed, as are stubs that are prone to pests and disease. Limbs that can rub against one another are also pruned so they don’t weaken one another or create an open wound on the tree.
Pruning trees every winter is a good way to get expert eyes on the health of your trees so that early signs of decay, disease and pest infestations can be identified and handled immediately.
A Cared-For Tree Serves Its Purpose Better
When a tree is overgrown, it starts to be hard for water and nutrients to reach every branch. This can leave the tree looking scraggly and sick and definitely not doing what it’s meant to do.
Trimmed trees, on the other hand, produce more fruit, healthier leaves and provide better shade. They are much fuller and healthier and less likely to create landscaping problems. So regardless of why you decided to plant a new tree, routine trimming each winter will improve the results you desire from it.
Trees are More Beautiful After Pruning
If the curb appeal of your landscaping is important to you, tree trimming is important! Pruning trees creates an attractive, uniform size and shape. This is important if you have a lot of identical trees on your property.
Trimming lower branches and upper branches that grow at improper angles improves the overall beauty of the tree while also strengthening tree health.
Less Chance of Falling Branches
Tree trimming – done the right way – encourages the remaining branches to grow stronger and healthier. Therefore, storms and high winds won’t damage your trees the same way they would an unkempt tree. Your home and family will be safer living under and around trimmed trees.
Another safety issue for overgrown trees is that they can block the view of traffic lights, road signs and driveways. Tree trimming, crown raising and other specialized tree care services will keep the tree at a manageable size and prevent it from blocking various views.
Call NC Tree Trimming for Tree Trimming
Working with a certified arborist in North Carolina gives you access to their expert knowledge on the subject of tree trimming. We highly recommend relying on their expertise if you have trees on that you’d like to keep healthy for a long time.
An arborist doesn’t only consider the immediate situation. Instead, an arborist will take the time to inspect your trees and study their unique scenario (including their location and factors that could put them at risk). After collecting all the information, an arborist will create a long-term plan based on the trees’ needs and stick to that course of action until your goals for your trees are achieved.
This plan could require years to implement, but rest assured, it will lead to healthy trees that you and your family can enjoy for many years to come.
This kind of ongoing maintenance will promote healthy tree growth, help your landscaping fight off plant diseases and increase flower or fruit production from the trees. It will also fortify your trees so there is not as much risk of falling trees or branches.
Being proactive about tree trimming will save you a lot of money over time as well. Preventative care is far more cost-effective than the cost of emergency tree services, storm damage restoration or curing a sick tree of a disease that has gotten out of hand (and one that was easily preventable).
If you care about the health of your trees and the curb appeal of your landscaping, trust a certified arborist for tree pruning and maintenance from NC Tree Trimming. Discover our service area here. We work with arborists across the entire state of North Carolina. Call now!
