Tree pruning in Colorado is a professional service that beautifies and reinforces your trees so they are able to fight off pests, diseases and inclement weather – and look good doing it!
Pruning must be performed if you want healthy trees, but it must be done correctly by someone who has experience in what they’re doing. Like a certified arborist from CO Tree Trimming. Homeowners may be able to prune and trim trees safely while they are small, but you also may do permanent harm to the tree in the process.
To correctly prune trees, you need to know all of the following:
- When to prune your species of trees
- How much of the tree should be trimmed at a time
- Where to cut the branches so you do not harm the tree
Cutting too much from a tree might kill it or result in structural damage, but precise trimming done annually benefits trees in many ways. Professional pruning improves the appearance of trees, makes them healthier, removes dying or diseased branches and expedites fruit or flower production.
For the best results, pruning needs to be completed annually, but as trees get older, you might be able to wait two years between major pruning services. Regardless of how routinely you have your trees pruned, ensure your arborist is qualified to do the type of tree pruning your trees need. This won’t be an issue if you call CO Tree Trimming in Colorado!
Types of Tree Pruning Methods
There are 7 ways to correctly prune a tree so that it grows healthier and stronger year after year.
Depending on the size, species and health problems of your trees, one pruning method may be more beneficial than another, but each technique has distinct benefits.
Crown Thinning Your Trees
Crown thinning is popular for older, overgrown trees in Colorado. This process eliminates weak branches within the crown of the tree to allow more sunlight and air flow within the crown. Air flow is especially important for disease prevention.
This pruning technique also gets rid of branches that are touching so they do not rub up against each other and snap or create weakened areas that can be an access point for pests. Limbs that grow at strange angles are usually removed during crown thinning.
Crown Raising Your Trees
This trimming method only removes branches at the lower part of the crown so new limbs start higher up on the trunk of the tree. Allowing low branches to get too large makes them very hard to remove, and they can pull nutrients from the top of the tree, resulting in less fruit and a weak tree.
There are several reasons you may decide to raise the crown of a tree. Frequently, it is done in order to clear the line of sight for automobiles and pedestrians, but it can also be done to make space for landscaping under the tree.
It is a common technique for overgrown trees that are close to homes and other buildings.
Crown Reduction
Crown reduction reduces the total size of the tree’s crown from its outer edges. It shortens branches vertically and horizontally to keep the tree at a certain size. By lowering the size of the crown, you can remove the need to cut down the tree because it won’t come into contact with traffic lights, power lines or street lights.
Even when the tree isn’t close to structures like those listed above, crown reduction can help the tree look much better because it removes irregular growth. This is a great solution for trees that are different ages but are supposed to look consistent.
Crown Cleaning
Sometimes known as deadwood pruning, crown cleaning is a minimally invasive type of tree trimming technique that removes dead, snapped or diseased limbs so that the rest of the tree will continue to grow normally. These branches can only create issues over time.
Crown cleaning helps to make the tree look much better, and it prevents limbs from rubbing together. Plus it is a safety practice that reduces the likelihood of branches falling, because healthy branches rarely fall.
Crown Restoration
Crown restoration is an advanced trimming process used on trees that have been significantly damaged (either by pests or weather). It needs to only be attempted by a certified arborist who knows where the tree is likely to grow in the future and how long it’s restoration is going to take.
Unlike other tree trimming services, crown restoration occurs during an extended time period with conservative trimming that reshapes the tree. An arborist will have a plan to restore the tree, but also must be flexible as the tree grows and reshapes on its own, working with the tree’s new growth.
Vista Pruning
If you are hoping for trees that help improve the overall beauty of your landscaping, you are actually interested in vista pruning. The intent of vista pruning is to make the tree more visually pleasing from a particular vantage point.
It entails many tree trimming techniques including crown thinning, crown cleaning and crown reduction – any technique that helps the trees look more attractive. Remember, though, that an arborist will never compromise the health of a tree, so the primary focus of vista pruning is still to create strong, healthy trees.
Espalier Pruning
Espaliered trees are pruned heavily to grow flat against walls or a trellis. It is a different style of pruning that will draw a lot of attention to your yard. Espalier pruning must be started when the tree is young and then done consistently throughout the tree’s life span.
Some of the benefits of espalier pruning include facilitating maximum sunlight to get to the trees, as well as making it exceptionally easier to produce fruit.
Professional Tree Pruning in Colorado
Tree pruning can be dangerous for a tree, your lawn, and, of course, for you! CO Tree Trimming highly encourages professional tree trimming over DIY.
Besides the many dangers of tree trimming, you can do a lot of harm to a tree if you don’t trim it correctly. Over-pruning is one of the most typical mistakes made by homeowners trimming their own trees.
Trees in Colorado that get routine care from a professionals are much better off, and hiring an experienced arborist from CO Tree Trimming to prune trees on your property is a choice you won’t regret. Locate your city in our service area. We work with arborists across the entire state of Colorado!
