Tree pruning in North Carolina is an important professional service that can beautify and reinforce your trees so they will withstand pests, diseases and severe weather – and look breathtaking doing it!
Pruning must be completed if you want healthy trees, but it must be done correctly by someone who knows what they’re doing. Like a certified arborist from NC Tree Trimming. Homeowners may be able to prune and trim trees safely while they are still small, but you also may do permanent damage to the tree in the process.
To properly prune trees, you need to know all of the following:
- When is the best time to prune your species of trees
- How much of the tree should be trimmed at a time
- Where to cut the branches so you do not damage the tree
Removing too much from a tree might kill it or cause structural damage, but minimal pruning done annually benefits trees in several ways. Professional pruning helps to improve the appearance of trees, makes them healthier, removes dying or diseased limbs and expedites fruit or flower production.
Ideally, pruning must be completed each year, but as trees mature, you may be able to wait two years between major pruning services. Regardless of how regularly you have your trees pruned, ensure your arborist is qualified to perform the type of tree pruning your trees need. This won’t be an issue if you call NC Tree Trimming in North Carolina!
Types of Tree Pruning Methods
There are 7 different ways to properly prune a tree so that it grows stronger and healthier year after year.
Depending on the shape, species and health problems of your trees, one method might be more effective than another, but each technique has various benefits to consider.
Crown Thinning Your Trees
Crown thinning is typical for larger, overgrown trees in North Carolina. This process removes weak branches within the crown of the tree to improve light and air flow through the crown. Air flow is important for disease prevention.
This pruning technique also gets rid of branches and limbs that are touching so they do not rub against one another and snap or create weakened areas that can be an entry point for insects and pests. Limbs that grow at strange angles are almost always cut off during crown thinning.
Crown Raising Your Trees
This tree pruning technique removes branches at the lower part of the crown so limbs start higher up on the trunk. Letting low branches get too big makes them difficult to cut off, and they can pull nutrients from the top of the tree, resulting in less fruit and a weaker tree.
There are many reasons you might want to raise the crown of a tree. Often, it is done in order to clear the line of sight for cars and pedestrians, but it can be done to make space for landscaping under the tree.
It is a common method for large trees that are too close to homes and buildings.
Crown Reduction
Crown reduction lowers the total size of the tree’s crown from its exterior edges. It shortens branches horizontally and vertically to maintain the tree at a certain size. By reducing the crown size, you can eliminate the need to chop the tree down because it won’t come into contact with traffic lights, power lines or street lights.
Even when the tree isn’t near structures like these, crown reduction will make the tree look much better because it eliminates irregular growth. This is a smart solution for trees that are various ages but are supposed to look consistent.
Crown Cleaning
Also referred to as deadwood pruning, crown cleaning is a minimally invasive trimming method that removes dying, broken or diseased branches so that the remaining parts of the tree will grow normally. These branches can only cause issues over time.
Crown cleaning helps to make the tree look a lot better, and it prevents limbs from rubbing together. And it is a safety practice that reduces the chance of branches falling, since healthy branches rarely fall.
Crown Restoration
Crown restoration is an intense trimming process for trees that have been significantly damaged (either by pests or weather). It needs to be done by an experienced arborist who knows how the tree is likely to grow over time and roughly how long it’s restoration is going to take.
Unlike most other tree trimming services, crown restoration occurs over a longer time period with conservative trimming that reshapes the tree. The arborist must have a plan to restore the tree, but also must be flexible as the tree begins to grow and reshape on its own, working with the tree’s new growth pattern.
Vista Pruning
If you are looking for trees to help improve curb appeal, you are actually interested in vista pruning. The goal of vista pruning is to help to make the tree more visually pleasing from a particular viewing point.
It entails many pruning techniques including crown thinning, crown reduction and crown cleaning – anything that makes the trees look prettier. Remember, though, that an arborist will never compromise the health of a tree, so the focus of vista pruning is still to maintain strong, healthy trees.
Espalier Pruning
Espaliered trees are pruned heavily to grow flat up against walls or a trellis. It is a different style of trimming that is sure to draw a lot of attention to your landscape. Espalier pruning needs to be started when the tree is young and then done routinely throughout the tree’s life span.
Some of the benefits of espalier pruning include allowing maximum sunlight to reach the trees, as well as making it much easier to produce fruit.
Professional Tree Pruning in North Carolina
Tree trimming can be harmful to a tree, your landscaping, and, of course, for you! NC Tree Trimming highly recommends professional tree pruning over DIY.
Aside from the possible dangers of tree trimming, you can do a lot of harm to a tree if you don’t know how to prune it properly. Over-pruning is one of the most typical mistakes made by homeowners maintaining their own trees.
Trees in North Carolina that get annual care from a professionals are much better off, and hiring a certified arborist from NC Tree Trimming to care for trees on your property is a choice you won’t regret. Locate your city in our service area. We work with arborists across the entire state of North Carolina!
