6 Tree Trimming Tips To Keep Your Landscape Looking Pristine

You don't have to be Paul Bunyan to know how to handle trees

. As long as you're equipped with a sharp saw, a sturdy ladder, a sense of safety, and some tree trimming tips, you can help keep your trees healthy and beautiful.

1. Know your trees. The most basic fact of tree trimming needs to be clearly stated. Know what kind of tree you're dealing with before you even sharpen your saw. If you trim your Japanese maple like you treat your crepe myrtle, you're going to end up with a very strange looking tree.

2. Avoid topping your tree. Topping trees is a good idea only when the tree is running the risk of interfering with a power line. If you top trees for aesthetics, you'll actually weaken the tree which can actually become a hazard and will look bad eventually, forcing you to cut it down.

3. Never trim more than 30% off the healthy portion of a tree. Feel free to trim a tree's outside branches, but don't lop off too much. Cutting away more than a third of the tree's volume may damage the tree. However if the branch is diseased, rotting or dead, definitely cut it all the way off.

4. Trim only when the tree is not actively growing. The proper time to trim trees is in the dead of winter when the tree is "hibernating" and the sap level is lowest. Avoid trimming when the tree is actively putting out shoots, and especially when the tree has its complete foliage. Trimming a leafless tree is easier and safer for you and the tree. The only exception to this rule involves dead or diseased branches. Dead branches need to be removed as soon as possible.

5. Cut branches close to the trunk, but avoid cutting the trunk or branch collar. Each branch is surrounded by a "branch collar" at its base. This collar forms a protective boundary against fungi. Cut the branch on the outside edge of this branch collar.

6. Cut a branch from the bottom, then from the top. As you trim branches, always begin cutting it from the bottom and work your way up then when you've cut approximately 1/4 the way through, change places with the saw and finish cutting from the top.. This bottom-first approach to cutting the branch will prevent the bark from tearing when the branch breaks off.

Even though trimming trees is definitely a chore, if you want healthy trees and great looking landscaping, don't overlook it. These tree trimming tips will give you the edge you need to get the yard you want.

by: Jerry Dunckan

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