When it comes to the question, “What season is best for tree trimming?” The answer will likely be vague.
The type of tree will determine when many species can be pruned, along with insect population and activity, local tree and plant diseases and other plants and trees nearby.
With the guidance of a professional arborist in Virginia, you will be able to decide which time of year is the best for trimming your trees to set them up for success next season and every year after that.
Best Season to Trim Trees
Without any other information, VA Tree Trimming recommends pruning trees in the winter. This would be sometime within November to March in Virginia. This season is best because trees are usually dormant, so pruning will lead to a minimal amount of damage, if any.
There are several benefits to pruning trees during the winter:
Lower chance of pest damage and disease – Insects and plant diseases are mostly inactive in the winter in Virginia. During the rest of the year, anything from insects to fungus can affect a newly pruned tree because the tree is most susceptible and these issues are more common during warmer weather.
Easier to see the shape of the tree when the leaves are gone – Leaves get in the way of your arborist from seeing the overall shape of a tree. When the tree branches are bare, it is a lot easier to see dead or diseased limbs and branches that are touching versus those that are just too close to each other.
Trees have time to heal before spring – By performing significant tree trimming during the winter, your trees will have several months to build up callus tissue on the ends of the remaining branch collar. By spring, you’ll barely be able to notice where the branches were cut off, and the tree will be able to focus its energy to produce new, healthier leaves, fruit or flowers instead of healing new cuts.
Less chance of harming nearby landscaping – Most of the nearby trees and plants will also be dormant during this time, so there is a lower risk of doing damage to them. Many times, a tree is surrounded by annual plants in the warmer seasons, but there are no plants to be disturbed during the winter months since these annuals already died out.
Do All Trees Need Pruning?
Yes, all trees benefit from trimming. Tree trimming in the winter is good for trees, but it is also a precaution for the safety of your landscaping and your family. Let us explain:
Pruning Makes the Tree Healthier
Dead and diseased branches are cut off, as are stubs that are prone to pests and disease. Limbs that can rub against each other are also pruned so they don’t weaken one another or cause an open wound on the tree.
Pruning trees each year is a great way to get expert eyes on the health of your trees so that early signs of decay, disease and pest infestations can be identified and dealt with right away.
A Cared-For Tree Serves Its Purpose Better
When a tree becomes overgrown, it’s hard for water and nutrients to get to every limb. This can leave the tree looking weak and sick and definitely not doing what it’s intended to do.
Pruned trees, on the other hand, produce more fruit, healthier leaves and provide better shade. They are much fuller and healthier and less likely to create landscaping problems. So regardless of why you planted a new tree, pruning will maximize the results you desire from it.
Trees are More Beautiful After Pruning
If the curb appeal of your landscaping is important to you, tree pruning is important! Trimming trees creates an attractive, uniform shape and size. This is especially important if you have a lot of identical trees on your property.
Removing lower branches and upper branches that grow at awkward angles improves the overall beauty of the tree while also strengthening tree health.
Less Risk of Falling Branches
Tree pruning – done the right way – encourages the remaining branches to grow healthier and stronger. Therefore, storms and high winds won’t damage your trees the way they would an unkempt tree. Your home and family will be safer living under and around trimmed trees.
Another safety issue for large trees is that they can impede the view of traffic lights, road signs and driveways. Tree trimming, crown raising and other professional tree care services will keep the tree at a manageable size and prevent it from blocking various views.
Call VA Tree Trimming for Tree Trimming
Working with a professional arborist in Virginia gives you access to their knowledge on the subject of tree trimming. We recommend relying on their years of experience if you have trees on your property that you’d like to keep healthy for awhile.
An arborist won’t only look at the immediate situation. Instead, he or she will take time to inspect your trees and understand their unique scenario (including their location and other factors that may put them at risk of disease or infestation). After collecting all the information, an arborist will make a long-term plan based on the trees’ needs and stick to that plan until the goals for your trees are met.
This plan might take many years to implement, but rest assured, it will lead to healthy trees that you and your family can enjoy for generations.
This type of ongoing care will promote healthy tree growth, help your landscaping fight off plant diseases and increase flower or fruit production from your trees. It will also fortify your trees so there is less risk of falling trees or limbs.
Being proactive about tree pruning will save you a lot of money over time too. Preventative maintenance is far more affordable than the cost of emergency tree services, storm damage restoration or restoring an ill tree from a disease that has spread out of hand (and one that was easily preventable).
If you care about the health of your trees and the curb appeal of your property, trust a certified arborist for tree pruning and maintenance from VA Tree Trimming. Find our service area here. We work with arborists across the entire state of Virginia. Call now!
