News

The United States alone has over 228 billion trees! With this number, it’s easy to understand how various tree species can end up in the same yard. While this makes for a beautiful garden, it does make it difficult to know when to trim your trees.

The frequency of tree trimming depends on different factors like the tree species, its age, health, growth rate, and the desired outcome. There is no “one size fits all” answer when it comes to tree trimming.

Trimming your trees when needed ensures your trees stay healthy and improves their overall shape and look. Removing old or dead branches will allow sunlight into the tree and reduce height or weight, which can become hazardous.

So keep reading to find out more about tree trimming and how it benefits your trees.

When to Trim Trees

Most trees benefit from trimming in mid to late winter. Trimming during dormancy encourages new growth as soon as the weather warms up. The lack of leaves allows easy access to branches and limbs that require trimming.

Here are some guidelines on how often trees should be trimmed:

Mature Trees

Mature trees generally require less frequent trimming. Regularly check your trees for dead, diseased, or damaged branches that need to be removed. Trimming every 3 to 5 years is sufficient for maintenance purposes.

Over-trimming trees will cause harm such as:

• Stripping them from too many leaves and nutrients that they need to survive
• Overexposure to the sun from having too little foliage
• Branches that are too weak to tolerate strong winds or fight off diseases or insect invasion

Young Trees

Young trees can be trimmed every 2 to 3 years to ensure proper structure and encourage tree health and growth.

Trees under the age of 5 years are considered young. The first years of a tree’s life are very important for its future health and as such, trimming must be done with care.

Start off by only trimming branches that are showing signs of disease or have died. Shaping a tree or allowing for good airflow by removing several branches can be done when the tree is older and stronger.

Flowering Trees

If you have flowering trees, you need to know their blooming patterns before you start any tree trimming. Some species produce blooms on old wood, while others only bloom on new growth. Removing branches that are about to bloom will affect future flower production, as the tree will need time to recuperate.

Fruit Trees

Trim fruit trees (except for sweet cherries) when they are still dormant. In the early spring, the buds are easier to see and the cuts will heal more quickly.

Yearly trimming encourages fruit forming and will lead to bigger and healthier fruit production.

Evergreen Trees

Evergreen trees require less trimming compared to deciduous trees because they keep their foliage year-round. Trimming improves their shape and will maintain their aesthetic appeal.

Tree Trimming Tips

What to look for as a starting point when trees need trimming:

• Dead branches
• Branches that look like they might be dying or diseased
• Sprouts at the base of the tree trunk
• Branches that grow across the center of the tree trunk 
• Limbs that rub together
• Branches in a V-shape
• Branches or roots that interfere with power lines, sidewalks, and buildings or cause obstruction and reduce visibility

How to Trim Trees

There are three major cuts when it comes to tree trimming.

The First Cut

Start at about 18 inches up on the underside of the branch. This is a good place to make the first cut. Cut only halfway through the branch.

The Second Cut

Move to the top of the branch. Start a little further out from your first cut underneath the branch. Carefully cut down until the branch breaks free.

The Third Cut

Find the branch collar on your trunk. This is a swollen area at the base of the branch where it joins the trunk.

Make the final cut just outside of the collar but do not leave a stub. A 45-degree angled cut away from the base prevents water damage and encourages the forming of tissue called a callus over the wound. This helps with the healing of newly trimmed branches.

What Tools Do You Need for Trimming Trees?

You need a variety of tools to trim your trees effectively.

A trimming saw has tempered metal blades that remain sharp. They cut on the pull-and-push stroke, which makes for quick and clean cutting. Lopping shears, on the other hand, have long handles and solid blades that let you cut accurately at a greater height and in tight spaces.

A rope saw uses a chain-type cutting blade and can be used to cut through thicker branches. A chainsaw quickly cuts through thick branches but shouldn’t be used on small limbs because of its shredding effect. Consider using the services of a professional for cuts that need a chainsaw for safety reasons.

A pole pruner has an extendable handle for reaching limbs that are beyond your reach. Choose a pole pruner that comes with interchangeable cutting tools like a pruning saw and a bypass pruner for versatility when trimming large branches.

Smaller hand tools like shears or secateurs are used to cut thinner branches and foliage.

To keep you safe from any falling debris or branches, you should wear safety goggles and a hard hat. Even smaller cuts can result in shooting splinters and debris that can cause injuries.

Trees respond well to good care. Consider making use of an arborist who specializes in the care and maintenance of trees.

Tree trimming can be risky if you do not know how to use the tools correctly. Hiring tree trimming services will allow you to sit back, relax, and enjoy your garden while you know your trees receive professional care and maintenance.

Tree Trimming Made Easy

It’s important to stay on top of your tree trimming schedule if you want to ensure your trees are happy and flourishing. Each type of tree is different, so it’s a good idea to categorize them by species and age before you start trimming anything.

Trimming is meant to improve the shape of your tree and encourage new growth, so make sure you’re trimming at the right time.

If you’re looking for a tree trimming service near you, contact us today. Arbor-Tech Tree Service provides high-quality tree service in the Dallas area.

Tree trimming. It may not be something you think about all of the time, but it is something that is likely going to be done if you own a home or business. 

That is why the tree trimming service industry in the United States is worth $29 billion. 

If you are someone that has not had to do this often, you may be wondering when you need tree trimming service. Why should you get it? 

Here are seven of the biggest reasons. 

1. Tree Trimming Safety 

One of the biggest reasons why you should hire a tree trimming service is for safety reasons. If this is not something that you have ever done before, you are not likely to know how to do this. 

On top of that, the trimming required may be very high up on the tree, forcing you to climb it.

With that in mind, you can imagine there is a chance that you could fall from the tree if you do it yourself. If that happens, you can get badly hurt, or even killed if it is a high enough fall. 

Leaving this in the hands of professionals greatly improves the safety of the job. 

2. Experience

Going off of the above, hiring a professional service gets you experience with people that have done this exact job and have the skill set to do it right.  

On top of avoiding possible falls, you can prevent further damage to the tree and the property around it by hiring people that know how to work around that. We will talk more about that later. 

With a professional service, you will have someone that knows the ins and outs while also knowing exactly how to approach the situation. 

3. Health of the Tree

If you are someone that cares about the health of trees, this could arguably be the biggest reason to hire a service to do the job. The reason why is that these professionals know how to do the job without damaging the health of the tree. 

You may be someone that sees the necessity of trimming a tree. However, you may also want the majority of it intact and still in front of your home or business. 

Professionals will only take out what is necessary while leaving the health of the tree intact. Someone trying to do this themselves could damage another part of the tree, forget to take out a dead branch or even accidentally knock off a healthy branch that was not necessary. 

They can do what is required without doing any more harm. 

4. Time 

The old saying is time is something that you can never get back. While that is true, one way around this is if you never have to use that time in the first place. 

That is the case when it comes to trimming a tree. If you are trying to do this yourself, you are likely going to have to take some time to figure out how to do the exact job that is required. 

This will not only take longer, but you may not even get it right on your first shot. If that happens, you are going to take even more time than you expected. 

If you hire professionals, you not only save your own time, but they will get the job done in a condensed time period. 

5. Insurance 

Something else that you have to think about when it comes to removing a tree from your home or business is the repercussions if things go wrong. 

Let’s say that you tried to remove the tree yourself to save money. The problem is it backfires, and now a branch does damage to your property. 

Then, you try to file a claim with your home or business insurance company, and they tell you that this incident is not covered because a professional was not responsible for it. That means you not only did the job wrong, but you are on the hook for all of the damage. 

There were about $1.4 trillion in insurance premiums in 2021. Considering what is at stake for large insurance companies, do not assume they are going to give money out that they are not legally responsible for. 

6. Protecting Your Property

Going off of the above, you want to make sure that when this job is done, your property is the same as when you left it. With professionals, this is a near guarantee because they know how to work around obstacles such as buildings nearby. 

Do not put your property at risk just because you may be considering saving a few bucks by doing it yourself. 

7. Getting Ahead

Finally, if you hire a tree trimming service, it can allow you to get ahead of future problems that you may not notice immediately. 

An example is if a branch is close to dying or can cause an infestation to the rest of the tree if it is not treated soon. A professional can get rid of that now with little to no problem, likely saving you a future headache and maybe some extra money. 

Hire a Tree Trimming Service 

These are the biggest reasons why you should hire a tree trimming service. It is a safer job that can prevent problems that may come up in the future. 

On top of this, you do not have to worry about property damage, you getting hurt on the job, wasting your time, or being concerned with inexperience.

Has all of this convinced you that this is the right way to go? If so, message us here today to start the tree trimming process. 

Proper tree trimming is essential not only for aesthetics but also for your home’s safety.

When your trees are healthy, the risk of stray branches falling and hurting someone decreases dramatically. When you choose to not use a tree service, though, mistakes can be made. Luckily, we’re here to teach you more.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about tree trimming and the potential mistakes you could be making.

Trimming Random Branches

It’s easy to assume that random branch selection is a good idea when you’re trimming trees, but you’d be incorrect. In fact, if you’re unsure of what to look for when you’re trimming trees, you might find it’s best left to a professional.

They’ll be able to carefully select which branches they choose to remove, how much they should remove, and how they should be removed. They’ll have a solid understanding of your project’s end goal, and they’ll be able to ensure it’s met.

If you don’t have an end goal in mind when you begin trimming, you’re going to have a hard time achieving the results that you want. In fact, you might end up causing more harm to your tree than you ever originally intended to.

Using Dull Tools

When it comes to dull and unsanitized tools, it’s important to keep them away from your trees at all costs. You may not realize it, but these two factors can actually lead to infectious bacteria and fungi spreading through the tree.

This is especially true if a different tree you cut with the same tools was already sick or diseased in some way. Infectious diseases can spread quite easily, and it’s important to prevent them from the beginning.

That means making even cuts with freshly-sharpened tools to help branches heal faster. It also means keeping tools clean between cuts. That doesn’t just apply to your tools, though.

Poor Cleanup

It’s also important to clean up the leftover branches and debris after you’re done trimming.

If you don’t, you risk a lot of unnecessary accidents or even fatalities as a result. You’re also leaving potential infection or disease on your property, meaning its access to your grass, shrubs, or other plants is a lot less limited. As a result, you’ve now placed those plants and the people in your home at risk for things that were easily preventable.

If you choose to hire a professional, they’ll take care of everything for you. You won’t have to worry about potential hazards, and you’ll know everything on your property is even safer than it was before the project even began. 

Trimming the Wrong Amount

When you cut too much or too little, there are a few things that can happen.

If you cut too little, then you’re not going to see any difference. On the other side, cutting too much can put your tree under a lot of stress. They’ll be losing their leaves, which is where the majority of their nutrition and sustenance comes from.

An experienced arborist knows exactly where to cut, and is also going to cut the right amount. That means your trees won’t be placed at risk during harsh weather, and they’ll be able to fend off disease or other risks a lot more easily. Your arborist will set a clear end goal at the beginning of the project, and they’ll have that goal in mind throughout the entirety of their work.

You’ll be left with healthier trees, and a lot more peace of mind.

Incorrect Timing

There’s a time and a place for everything, and tree trimming is no exception. Trimming your trees at the wrong time of year is going to cause potential nutrient and growth issues.

In some cases, trimming when the growing season is at its peak may be ideal. On the other end, trimming when the tree is dormant may be necessary. It all depends on the tree’s individual needs, and it’s important to take them into account when you’re getting started.

Improper timing can lead to stunted growth, and an inability to fend off infection or produce the proper amount of nutrients. This is where working with a trained professional can help, as you’ll no longer need to worry about timing.

They’ll be able to tell you the best time to trim your trees, and they’ll be able to help out every step of the way.

Improper Safety Measures

This is perhaps the biggest reason you should have for wanting to work with a professional. As an expert, arborists know the proper steps to take when it comes to keeping themselves safe on the job. They’ve been trained, and they have a wide array of industry knowledge to help back their efforts.

As a DIYer, you might not have as much education. Tree pruning is more difficult and dangerous than it may seem, and it’s important to stay up-to-date with safety measures and regulations.

Without the proper tools, knowledge, and expertise, you might find yourself in a situation that you never would’ve pictured yourself in by the end of the project.

Do You Need Help With Tree Trimming?

While DIY tree trimming is something a lot of homeowners choose to take on, it’s not for everyone. Hiring a professional can mitigate risks, and it can also save you time and money. They’ll ensure the job gets done correctly the first time around, and you won’t have to worry at all along the way.

Luckily, we can help you every step of the way. Contact us today to get started.