Have you been asking: Why does a tree need pruning? Rushtons Tree Care are professional tree surgeons working throughout Preston and Lancashire. This article explains why prune your tree? How to prune a tree and when to prune a tree.
What Is Pruning?
Pruning can make a huge difference to the aesthetics of your trees and shrubs. Well-kept trees and shrubs will also be more healthy. By trimming branches, maintaining the shape and controlling growth, pruning allows you to create the perfect greenery for your property.
Leaving your garden to grow wild and free can be tempting, but it can be detrimental to plant health and potentially risk your safety. Any tree can drop its branches, which can be a significant hazard. So, it's always a good idea to prune your trees.
What Does Pruning Do?
Here are some of the main things pruning achieves:
Removing dead branches allows new healthy ones to grow.
Regular pruning and treatments can prevent disease.
Pruning encourages the growth of fruits.
Removing hazardous branches improves safety.
Pruning branches and shrubs can improve your view into your garden and beyond.
WHY PRUNE YOUR TREE?
There are several reasons to prune your trees, including:
Pruning improves the structure of your trees.
It removes dangerous or decaying branches.
It removes shade, providing sunlight to plants on the ground.
Thinning the canopy of your trees reduces wind loading.
If your trees stand near buildings, pruning can create a safe space between the tree and your property.
You should always have a qualified tree surgeon prune your trees. If pruning isn't done properly, diseases can enter the tree through wounds pruning generally creates. This can reduce your trees' strength over time, especially if you remove large amounts of material.
HOW TO PRUNE A TREE
To understand how pruning works, you need to understand how trees grow their branches. Every branch starts as a bud, grows into a twig, and then becomes a fully-fledged branch. Just as tree trunks have growth rings showing how old the tree is, branches also have growth rings.
These rings show how the branch becomes stronger over time and cements its attachment to the tree trunk. You'll notice a bunched ring of bark, known as a "branch bark ridge", around the base of the branch, which is known as the "branch collar".
When removing a branch through pruning, there are safety standards in place to protect the tree's health. The British Standard for Tree Work states that the final cut to remove the branch must be smaller than 33% of the parent branch's diameter.
This means tree surgeons must use a series of cuts to remove a branch. Only using small, shallow cuts, prevents the weight of the branch from tearing through the stem, which would leave a jagged, open wound. The final cut goes through the branch collar and branch bark ridge, removing the branch cleanly.
WHEN TO PRUNE
Deciding when to prune your trees will depend on what species they are. For most species, you'll want to prune them after the leaves have hardened or "flushed". This occurs during the late Spring and early Summer months.
However, species like Birch, Maple and Walnut shouldn't be pruned this early. These species will leak out sap when pruned, causing them to lose sugars vital for their health. So, if you have these species in your garden, you'll want to save pruning until later in the year, during late Summer and early-to-mid Winter.
If you require specialist tree services in Lancashire, whether for pruning and maintenance or felling and site clearance, Rushtons Tree Care is here to help. Our professional team of qualified tree surgeons will be happy to help with all your arboricultural needs.
