Tree pruning in New Jersey is an important professional service that can beautify and reinforce your trees so they can fight off pests, diseases and inclement weather – and look good doing it!
Pruning has to be performed if you want healthy trees, but it needs to be done carefully by someone who has experience in what they’re doing. Like a certified arborist from NJ Tree Trimming. You may be able to prune trees safely while they are small, but you also may be doing irreparable harm to the tree.
To properly prune trees, you must know all of the following:
- When to prune your types of trees
- How much of the tree should be trimmed at a time
- Where to cut each branch so you do not harm the tree
Pruning too much from a tree can kill it or lead to structural damage, but conservative pruning done annually benefits trees in many ways. Professional pruning helps to improve the appearance of trees, makes them stronger, removes dying or diseased limbs and assists in fruit or flower production.
Ideally, pruning must be performed each year, but as trees mature, you may be able to wait two years between major pruning services. Regardless of how routinely you have your trees trimmed, ensure your arborist is qualified to do the type of tree pruning your trees need. This won’t be a problem if you call NJ Tree Trimming in New Jersey!
Types of Tree Pruning Methods
There are 7 different ways to correctly trim a tree so that it grows healthier and stronger year after year.
Depending on the size, species and health problems of your trees, one method might be more beneficial than another, but each technique has various benefits to consider.
Crown Thinning Your Trees
Crown thinning is typical for larger, overgrown trees in New Jersey. This method eliminates weak branches within the crown of the tree to allow more sunlight and air flow through the crown. Air flow is important for disease prevention.
This tree pruning method also eliminates branches that are touching so they no longer rub against one another and snap or create weaker areas that can be an entry point for pests. Limbs that grow at odd angles are almost always removed during crown thinning.
Crown Raising Your Trees
This trimming method only removes branches and limbs at the lower part of the crown so limbs start higher up on the trunk of the tree. Allowing low branches to get too big makes them hard to cut off, and they can draw nutrients away from the top of the tree, which leads to less fruit and a weak tree.
There are a variety of reasons you may decide to raise the crown of a tree. Many times, it is done to clear the line of sight for automobiles and pedestrians, but it can also be done to increase space for landscaping beneath the tree.
It is a common method for overgrown trees that are 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 vertically and horizontally to maintain the tree at a certain size. By lowering the size of the crown, you can eliminate the need to chop the tree down because it will no longer come into contact with traffic lights, power lines or street lights.
Even if the tree isn’t close to structures like those listed above, crown reduction can help the tree look much better because it eliminates irregular growth. This is a great idea for trees that are various ages but you want to look uniform.
Crown Cleaning
Also known as deadwood pruning, crown cleaning is a minimally invasive type of tree pruning technique that eliminates dying, snapped or diseased limbs so that the rest of the tree may continue to grow normally. These limbs can only create issues later.
Crown cleaning makes the tree look much better, and it stops limbs from rubbing together. It is also a safety practice that lowers the likelihood of branches falling, because healthy branches rarely fall.
Crown Restoration
Crown restoration is an advanced pruning process used on trees that have been severely damaged (either by pests or weather). It needs to only be performed by an experienced arborist who knows where the tree is going to grow in the future and roughly just how long it’s restoration is going to take.
Unlike other tree pruning services, crown restoration happens over an extended period of time with conservative pruning that reshapes the tree. Your arborist will have a definitive plan to restore the tree, but also must be flexible as the tree starts to grow and reshape on its own, working with the tree’s new growth pattern.
Vista Pruning
If you are hoping for trees that add to the beauty of your landscaping, you are probably interested in vista pruning. The intent of vista pruning is to make the tree more aesthetically pleasing from a particular vantage point.
It consists of many 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 compromise the health of a tree, so the focus of vista pruning is still to maintain strong, healthy trees.
Espalier Pruning
Espaliered trees are heavily pruned to grow flat against a wall or a trellis. It is a different style of trimming that is going to attract a lot of attention to your lawn. Espalier pruning has to begin when the tree is very young and then continued very routinely during the tree’s life span.
Some of the benefits of espalier pruning include facilitating maximum sunlight to reach the trees, as well as making it easier to produce fruit.
Professional Tree Pruning in New Jersey
Tree trimming can be harmful to a tree, your lawn, and, of course, for you! NJ Tree Trimming highly encourages professional tree trimming over attempting DIY.
Besides the dangers of tree trimming, you can do a lot of damage 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 caring for their own trees.
Trees in New Jersey that get annual care from a professional are usually much better off, and hiring a certified arborist from NJ Tree Trimming to trim trees on your property is a choice you won’t regret. Locate your city in our service area. We work with arborists across the entire state of New Jersey!
