5 Reason to Prune Trees and Shrubs in Late Winter or Early Spring
/To remove dead wood
To remove broken or damage branches
To remove unwanted growth
To reduce or maintain the size of the landscape plants
To rejuvenate old plants (helping to produce better flowers, fruit, or foliage)
Now is the time for tree and shrub care. Late winter or early spring is one of the best times to prune trees and shrubs. OK, there certainly are some do’s and don’ts, all of which cannot be covered in this blog. However, here is some great information to guide you.
IMPORTANT LANDSCAPE TIP: You don’t necessarily want to prune every tree or shrub on your property on the same day, just because you have the time, or equipment out. It is best not to prune early flowering trees and shrubs now, common to our area, dogwood, pear, forsythia, for example. You will want to wait until the blooms have faded away, about a month or slightly longer. You don’t want to take away the buds before they bloom.
With new landscape plantings, there should be very little need for shrub care. However, do look for any broken or damaged branches. With new shrubs you will want the shrub to develop on its own so that the plant has a natural shape.
With overgrown shrubs or trees the opposite is true for proper tree and shrub care. You will need to reduce the size of the shrub with a more severe cutting back technique. This is called heading back. This pruning technique is the process of shortening branches or stems back to a much lower point.
IMPORTANT PRUNING TIP: Make sure to prune to just above an outward facing bud or branch. You will also need to be very careful not to cut the bud or branch collar. Make your pruning cut on a slight angle, about one quarter inch above the bud. Evergreen trees (trees with needles, pines, spruce, firs) should not be pruned as described above. I’ll try to cover that topic later in spring.
I saved the best for last, trimming or shearing. I personally am not a fan. If you want balls, squares, and triangles, please think about this. If you ask a child to draw a picture with trees, shrubs and plants, what you usually will get are balls, squares, and triangles. If you ask an artist to do the same task, well…. you get the picture. So throw away your electric trimmer and get a pair of pruners and a lopper.
Of course, if you need help with your shrub care we are always here to be of service. For more information about our Tree Care and Shrub Care and Landscape Maintenance services, please see our pages or give us a call at 201-445-4646 to set up a free consultation.