Landscape Care: How Often Is Pruning Needed in the Webster and Penfield, NY, Areas?

In order to keep the landscape of your Webster and Penfield, NY, area property looking nice, periodic pruning is necessary. Your landscape contractor can regularly prune your shrubs and trees in order to give them the best visual presentation and keep your plantings healthy. So, how often is pruning needed? The answer depends on a few different factors.

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Why Pruning Is Necessary

Pruning becomes necessary when trees, shrubs, and plantings mature, so that they not only appear attractive but that they do not interfere with each other’s growth. Pruning is also necessary to maintain your plantings’ health. When you have a pruning service performed, your landscape team can also take care of branches and tree limbs that could fall and hurt someone or damage items on your property. Simply put, trees, plants, and shrubs will be healthier overall if they receive routine pruning services.

What Plantings Need Pruning

Deciding which plantings need pruning and when can be completely determined by your landscape contractor, to take the guesswork out of scheduling the service. They can keep an eye on your trees, shrubs, or flowering plants, and scale them back when necessary. All you’d need to do is sit back and admire your lovely looking yard filled with healthy plants and trees.

When Pruning Is Needed

The pruning schedule will depend on a few different factors. The season will often determine what yard features should be pruned and when. Since pruning at the wrong time can potentially damage your trees, shrubs, and plants, you want to make sure this service is completed at the right time, which is usually late winter to early spring. Doing so enables new growth to occur once springtime arrives. As for flowering plants and trees, pruning should be completed after the first buds and flowers arrive so as not to trim the flowers off.

Another factor that may determine pruning is necessary is when the branches are broken or breaking. Also, if part of a tree or shrub needs to be cleared in order for an energy company to install electrical lines or if a pathway is covered by low branches that need to be removed, pruning will take care of this.

How Pruning Is Completed

When the time comes for your landscape professionals to perform pruning services on your property, they may use a few different methods to do so. Various pruning techniques may be used. Thinning is one type of pruning which removes certain branches to allow light to filter through and help manage growth.

Reduction is a pruning technique where a tree's volume is reduced, such as when the electric company needs to install power lines and must get through your trees to do so. Raising is another pruning method where the bottom limbs and branches of trees are removed to enable people to walk underneath them. Topping is a more intensive type of pruning where almost all of the branches are removed. This technique is often used when a homeowner wants a tree to grow in a certain way.

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