Tree pruning in Washington is a landscaping service that can beautify and reinforce your trees so they can fight off insects, diseases and severe weather – and look breathtaking while doing it!
Pruning needs to be performed if you want healthy trees, but it has to be done correctly by someone who has experience in what they’re doing. Like a certified arborist from WA Tree Trimming. You may be able to prune trees safely while they are small, but you also may do irreparable harm to the tree.
To properly prune trees, you should know all of the following:
- When to prune your species of trees
- How much of the tree can be trimmed at at once
- Where to cut the branches so you do not damage the tree
Cutting too much from a tree could kill it or cause structural damage, but precise pruning done each year benefits trees in many ways. Pruning improves the appearance of trees, makes them healthier, eliminates dead or diseased branches and assists in fruit or flower production.
For the best results, pruning should be performed each year, but as trees mature, you might be able to go two years between major pruning services. Regardless of how often you have your trees trimmed, be sure your arborist is qualified to do the type of tree pruning your trees need. This won’t be an issue if you call WA Tree Trimming in Washington!
Types of Tree Pruning Methods
There are 7 different ways to correctly prune a tree so that it grows stronger and healthier year after year.
Depending on the shape, type and health concerns of your trees, one pruning method could be more effective than another, but each technique has distinct benefits to consider.
Crown Thinning Your Trees
Crown thinning is common for older, overgrown trees in Washington. This technique eliminates weak branches within the crown to improve light and air flow throughout the crown. Air flow is especially important to help prevent disease.
This tree pruning technique also gets rid of branches and limbs that are touching so they do not rub against each other and snap or create weakened areas that can be an entry point for insects and pests. Limbs that grow at odd angles are typically cut off during crown thinning.
Crown Raising Your Trees
This trimming method removes branches at the lower part of the crown so 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 weaker tree.
There are a variety of reasons you might want to raise the crown of a tree. Many times, it is done in order to clear the line of sight for cars and pedestrians, but it can be done to create space for landscaping underneath the tree.
It is a common technique for large trees that are too close to homes and buildings.
Crown Reduction
Crown reduction lowers the total size of the tree’s crown from its outer edges. It shortens limbs horizontally and vertically to maintain the tree at a certain size. By lowering the size of the crown, you can eliminate the need to cut the tree down because it won’t interfere with traffic lights, power lines or street lights.
Even if the tree isn’t close to structures like these, crown reduction will make the tree look neater because it also removes irregular growth. This is a good idea for trees that are various ages but you want to look consistent.
Crown Cleaning
Also referred to as deadwood pruning, crown cleaning is a minimally invasive trimming technique that gets rid of dead, snapped or diseased branches so that the remaining sections of the tree will continue to grow normally. These limbs can only create problems over time.
Crown cleaning helps to make the tree look much better, and it stops limbs from rubbing together. Plus it is a safety practice that lowers the likelihood of falling branches, because healthy branches do not fall very often.
Crown Restoration
Crown restoration is an advanced pruning technique used on trees that have been severely damaged (either by weather or vandals). It should be performed by an experienced arborist who knows how the tree is likely to grow over time and roughly how long it’s restoration will take.
Unlike other tree pruning services, crown restoration happens over an extended time period with conservative pruning that reshapes the tree. Your arborist must have a definitive plan to restore the tree, but also must be flexible as the tree begins to grow and reshape on its own, working with the tree’s new growth pattern.
Vista Pruning
If you want trees to add to the overall beauty of your landscaping, you are probably interested in vista pruning. The goal of vista pruning is to help to make the tree more visually pleasing from a particular vantage point.
It entails several pruning techniques including crown thinning, crown cleaning and crown reduction – any technique that helps the trees look prettier. Remember, though, that a professional is not going to jeopardize the health of a tree, so the focus of vista pruning is still to maintain strong, healthy trees.
Espalier Pruning
Espaliered trees are pruned heavily to grow flat against walls or a trellis. It is a unique style of trimming that is going to draw a lot of attention to your lawn. Espalier pruning has to begin when the tree is young and then done consistently during 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 much easier to produce fruit.
Professional Tree Pruning in Washington
Tree trimming can be dangerous for a tree, your lawn, and, of course, for you! WA Tree Trimming highly recommends professional tree pruning over attempting DIY.
Aside from the many possible dangers of tree trimming, you can do a lot of harm to a tree if you don’t know how to trim it properly. Excessive pruning is one of the most typical errors made by homeowners trimming their own trees.
Trees in Washington that get annual care from a professional are usually much better off, and hiring a certified arborist from WA Tree Trimming to trim the trees on your property is a decision you won’t regret. Locate your town in our service area. We work with arborists across the entire state of Washington!
