When is the best time of the year for Tree Trimming?

tree surgeryThere’s a vast amount of mixed messages that you can find whilst researching gardening and landscaping, so this month R&J Landscapes are giving you an insight to the best time of year for tree trimming, tree surgery and tree pruning. Although it may not seem important, cutting a tree too early or too late could be detrimental to its growth and may even cause permanent problems in the future.

Tree surgery

Tree surgery is an intense procedure that is dangerous for a homeowner to perform. Tree surgery is a service given by highly trained professionals there to remove cumbersome, diseased or hazardous branches/trees.

When to proceed

Disease: depending on the type of disease that the tree has, your surgeon will recommend a time that is best to cut it. Some diseases spread and rot the tree more quickly than others, so it can be the case that they will suggest their services immediately in order to save the tree, by lopping off the troublesome areas and in other cases the disease may have already spread throughout. In which case, a tree surgeon can cut down this tree at any point, as it cannot be saved.

Removal of tree: given that the tree isn’t protected and that removal has been given the OK, the tree can be cut down any time of year. The only thing needs to be taken into consideration is the weather, to ensure maximum safety for those performing the task..

Hazardous branches: If a large branch is threatening safety, whether it’s over a road, school, home or other – it’s important to let the professionals know as soon as possible to avoid any accidents from happening.

Tree pruning & tree trimming

These types of tree maintenance generally refer to removal of dead branches and leaves, to stop trees from fueling the dead parts, so these methods are implemented to help improve growth and foliage production. It also refers to sculpting a tree for face-value aesthetics, which is generally the term given to tree trimming. Although these types of maintenance are similar, they still have their slight differences.

Time to prune – light trimming can generally be done all year round. However, if you’re looking to prune long, dead branches and really cut back a tree, it’s advised that you wait for the tree’s dormant period. This is generally late autumn or winter, this is because once spring swings around, the tree will heal faster and grow much quicker.

Times to avoid – pruning should be avoided after the spring flush, this is because the tree will be working overtime to produce food for new shoots and leaves, so when a tree is pruned during this time, the tree is under pressure the heal these fresh wounds. So instead of making all important food for natural growth, it spends time trying to recover during it’s most important growing season.

It is also important to point out that trees can catch diseases during early spring and are more susceptible to this once a tree has been cut, as the openings and ‘bleeding’ sap provide an invitation to hazardous spores, carried in the air. During these transmission periods, fresh cuts can cause growth issues and reduce a tree’s life expectancy.

How to prune – a tree should really be pruned properly by a professional and an expert will ensure that they’re pruned to perfection in order to keep trees healthy. However, should you prune your own trees you will want to only remove dead or decaying branches, leaves and stubs – it is important not to ‘over prune’ a tree.

Put your trust in our tree surgeons to get the job done right, the first time around. With over 30 years of experience and a fast, reliable, proven service you can ensure that we will go above and beyond to give you correct advice and a first-rate service. We also specialise in a variety of other services too, including: treework, paving, driveways, landscaping, turfing, fencing & decking – so if you’re within Harrow, Aylesbury or Watford give us a call today and see what we can do for you!