Your home should appear inviting throughout the holiday season. Overgrown trees and landscaping can have a negative impact on curb appeal. Use pruning to tackle holiday tree care.
Achieving Exceptional Curb Appeal
Trimming trees can promote clean lines and neat shapes that make your home look more attractive. You’ll be able to make your home look more magical with decorations and lighting when the trees are tidy. Shining lights up into tree branches can look very whimsical, especially when there is snow on them. These lights can have the opposite effect if you’re highlighting damaged trees.
Preventing Damage and Injuries
Tree limbs can become weak and brittle over time, especially if they experience storm damage. Removing these branches can prevent damage to your roof, home or guests as they enter or leave your home. Blowing branches can also damage nearby homes and structures. Cut back branches that are overhanging walkways or driveways. This prevents injury and damage to nearby vehicles during gatherings.
Protecting Tree Health
Branches with disease or damage can prevent sunlight and airflow from getting to areas of the tree that need it. This can also reduce the risk of certain fungal infections and pest infestations. Keeping your trees healthy prevents losing them completely if they experience an issue. Not to mention, trees with disease can appear unhealthy.
Promoting Growth in the Spring
Pruning trees can give them a fresh, healthy appearance. This can also help encourage growth in the springtime. Late-season pruning helps trees utilize energy efficiently when growth is necessary. Your trees will look full and healthy for next year’s holidays.
Using the Right Tools
It’s important that the right tools are part of the pruning process. Otherwise, dull blades can lead to the spread of disease or tear bark in an unsightly way. Professionals disinfect their tools in between trees to prevent any cross-contamination concerns.
Don’t Prune Too Much
Strive to remove no more than 25% of a tree’s canopy in one season. This may mean you need to trim some branches now and come back next year to do more. Taking off too much at one time can reduce a tree’s cold tolerance, which makes it unhealthy and unsightly. Also, cuts should occur right outside the branch collar. This is the swollen area where a branch encounters the trunk. This allows those areas to heal and other branches to fill in the gaps.
Professional tree pruning is ideal for the protection and aesthetics of your landscape. We encourage you to contact our team at Charleston Stump Stompers in Charleston, SC for assistance with tree trimming and pruning.