Tree pruning mistakes to avoid at all costs

If you’re like me, you love trees. They’re beautiful, they provide shade and oxygen, and they make the world a more pleasant place to be. Plus, who doesn’t feel good when they look at one? But if you want your tree to live as long as possible and thrive in its environment, tree pruning Melbourne is an important part of caring for it. 

• Pruning your tree while it’s too young or while it’s too old

You can only prune a tree when it’s dormant. Dormant trees are not actively growing, so the timing of your pruning is important. If you wait too long, you risk harming your tree by removing too much woody tissue. On the other hand, if you prune too early in spring or summer (before leaves have fully grown), there’s a chance that all those new leaves will be damaged by sunburn and other heat-related issues caused by being exposed to direct sunlight while they’re still small and vulnerable.

• Removing too much from the top of your tree

Pruning is a delicate process that can easily be over-done. The most common mistake made by inexperienced tree pruners is to remove more from the top of their trees than they need to. This is akin to trying to make your dog smaller by cutting off its tail – not only does it not work, but the dog will probably hate you for life!

The best way to avoid this pitfall is simple: always cut to shape instead of size reduction. If you are removing a branch because it has died or become diseased then that’s fine – go ahead and trim away as much dead wood as necessary. However, if your main concern is simply getting rid of something because it sticks out too far or takes up too much space above ground level then you should stop yourself in your tracks before making any cuts at all.

• Removing living branches when you don’t need to

You should never remove living branches from your tree. Removing a living branch will cause the tree to expend energy growing that new branch back, and it might just die anyway, which would be even more devastating for both you and the tree.

When you’re pruning a healthy tree, look at each branch carefully before removing it. If there are any signs of disease or decay on a branch (browning leaves or needles, cracks in the bark), then it’s probably best to cut that one off immediately; otherwise try to save as much of your tree’s natural beauty as possible by leaving those diseased parts alone. The same goes for deadwood: if dead limbs are hanging off your trees’ trunks, now is not the time to remove them – they serve an important purpose in acting as lightning rods during storms (and keeping squirrels out).

Conclusion

The best way to keep your tree healthy is to avoid these mistakes. If you’re worried that your tree might be damaged in a storm, you can contact a tree pruning Melbourne expert for a free consultation with one of an arborist.