Many customers don’t understand the value of having your trees and plants professionally pruned. Improper pruning can lead to a variety of different problems including killing your trees, palms, or shrubs. We always recommend that you hire a professional to do this, because not only will they trim it properly, but it will look aesthetically pleasing as well. We see trees every day that have been butchered by homeowners and it makes us very sad. However, if you are a do-it-yourself kind of person, here are three simple tips to keep in mind when you do your next trimming.

#1 Clean your Clippers
Have you ever actually cleaned your pruning shears, saws, or clippers? We didn’t think so. Dirty pruning equipment can lead to a host of problems including spreading diseases from one plant to the next. We recommend that you use the dip and clip method whenever you are pruning your landscape. The dip and clip method means that every time you trim one thing before you move onto the next, you dip your pruning equipment into a bucket of bleach water. This will disinfect your equipment and stop the spread of bacteria or disease from one plant to the next. To make a disinfectant solution simply take one part bleach to 5 parts water and mix it well in the bucket. You can use this for your whole landscape. Clean and replace as needed.

Once you are finished, be sure that you wipe down your blades and pruning equipment before storing it so the next time you go to use it, it is nice and clean. Remember, every time you trim your trees and plants you are creating an open wound and this is when the plants and trees are the most susceptible to infection and insects.

#2 Proper Pruning Methods
Many people go out and just start cutting and hacking off limbs and branches from their trees paying no mind to how they are affecting the tree. Proper pruning methods mean you are trimming the correct branch or limb and making a clean cut that will not hurt the trees. When you cut limbs or branches off you are going to send the trees into a state of shock, the easier you make it on them the easier it is for them to bounce back. Following the 3 cut method is the best way to keep your tree and palms from stressing out too much.

Once you have finished pruning your tree and cleaned your pruning equipment, be sure to apply Super Charged Moon Juice to each and every tree that was trimmed. This will help it from going into shock and it will help the trees and plants to begin regenerating new growth. The healthier you can keep your trees and plants the less likely they are to be affected by disease, insects or infections.

#3 Prune the Right Trees at the Right Time
Lastly, the biggest mistake you can make when taking on a landscape pruning job is to trim the wrong trees, palms, and plants at the wrong time of the year. Different varieties of trees and plants are going to react differently when being pruned. For example, pruning delicate items such as roses in the middle of summer will make them open to being sunburnt, but they are less prone to burning when being pruned in the wintertime like they are supposed to be.

During this time of year (summer) we recommend that you do minimal pruning on things, except those that need it. This is, however, the best time of year to get all your palms trimmed up and ready for the growing season. We also recommend that you have a professional come out and look at your property prior to the heavy summer winds that we are so prone to.

These steps will help you get started if you are thinking of tackling your own backyard trimming. If pruning still feels like a task too large to handle on your own give the experts at our tree care division a call at 602-814-0355 or fill out a form here and we will contact you and help you get started with your trimming project.