Do you know the difference between pruning and trimming?
We’ll go into detail here in a bit. But if you’re in a rush, for example, your friend is currently on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” and they just phoned you and they just need to know the answer NOW. Pruning is typically done for the tree’s health and trimming is for its aesthetic, and clean appearance. Still confused, down below are the details we were talking about earlier.
What is pruning?
Pruning is crucial for the health of the tree, shrub, or hedge. It is the process of addressing the 4 D’s, by removing any diseased, damaged, dead or dying parts of the plant to keep them healthy and to stop the damage from spreading. As we stated earlier, pruning is primarily done for health reasons and it typically is recommended to be done every two or three years for deciduous trees. (These are oaks, maples, and beeches. It is a tree that loses its leaves in the fall every year.)
If pruning is done incorrectly, the plant’s growth may be stunted. Poor pruning can encourage pests and disease and cause the plant to die.
When should it be done?
It depends on its dormant season. For most trees, it’s during the winter months, but evergreens are typically in the summer. Spring-flowering trees are usually pruned after the blooming cycle, toward the middle of summer. But it all depends on its classification and what it’s considered to be.
Benefits:
- When plants are young, pruning helps the plant to grow a certain way. It will require less corrective pruning as the plant matures and is more likely to have a healthier formation.
- Removing diseased or dying branches reduces the risk of these tree parts falling on your property or causing injury to others.
What is trimming?
Trimming is removing excess overgrowth on your trees, shrubs, and hedges to maintain their condition. This is typically done when cutting it into a specific shape or just trying to keep it a specific size.
When should it be done?
The frequency of trimming depends on how fast a tree grows and the climate conditions in which it is growing. In our area, it is typically done mid-summer.
Benefits:
- It keeps your plants looking well-shaped and neat.
- If multiple, it keeps plants the same size creating a uniform look.
What is rejuvenation?
Rejuvenation is a service performed on old, neglected shrubs that are overgrown and filled with dead stems. There’s no need to rip them out yet – a shrub rejuvenation can go a long way. Instead of the time-consuming process removing and planting a new shrub, our team can cut out dead branches and reduce the shrub to a reasonable height. Once rejuvenated, regular trimming will keep the shrub full, healthy and looking great.
Benefits:
- It gives you back a healthy, more attractive shrub.
Pruning is more selective, removing specific branches that are damaged or unhealthy. Trimming on the other hand is to give your trees, shrubs, and hedges a neat appearance. Rejuvenation gives your shrubs an extreme makeover to once again make the shrub appeasing to the eye.
If you are still having trouble deciding what needs to be done to your trees or shrubs. Give the team at All Terrain a call. We have a handful of ISA Certified Arborists on our team that know when and how to trim and prune your plants.