Walking through the streets of our city, we often notice beautiful landscaping, beautiful houses with their ingenious and innovative decorations, but rarely pay attention to trees. These vestiges of the past, which are most of the time mistreated, awkwardly carved and even massacred! Mostly because of ignorance, but above all to save a little money, people cut their trees themselves, sometimes at the risk of their lives. It’s important to know that pruning your own trees in order to save a little money can be very damaging. The purpose of the following text is to enlighten you on the good practice of arboriculture, which is still little known today, and the various tree-pruning techniques.
Bad Practices
Let’s cut to the chase! Lowering, topping or making a ball with a tree is very damaging. Where the cut was made, a scar will form that will never heal. In the long run, it will even cause the branch to rot. It will be a direct entry for diseases, spores and fungi. Especially since the following year, young regrowths will form around this scar and when they reach about ten feet, which will be very fast because we stimulate the growth of the tree by lowering it, the branches will be very dangerous because they will have a rotten base. They will therefore be very fragile facing bad weather such as high winds, ice or snow. In short, you don’t win by removing half of your tree. If you find it dangerous because it was too high and too dense, it will be even more so in five years.
A tree is made to keep its shape, because each species is different. If you want to make a ball out of your sugar maple, it will have its growth cycle unregulated. Most of the time, people call a pruning company to get more sunshine in their backyard, to give a certain cachet to their property before selling it or because they are worried about their safety.
Good practices
Now, here are the various pruning techniques available to you that are good for the tree. Without removing any main head branch:
- Pruning as much as possible to brighten up the pool and garden;
- Cutting off dead wood so that it doesn’t fall on the heads of children;
- Raising the crown (bottom branch) to help lawn growth;
- Reducing the tree laterally to clear the house and prevent the roof from wearing out too quickly due to the dampness of the tree.
But most important, we don’t top it off. That way, there is no rot formation since we cut a branch along the trunk to thin it, the scar closes and doesn’t damage the tree. At the same time, there are no spores, no diseases and no danger that the tree will give way when Mother Nature wreaks havoc.
Exceptions
Of course, no one can predict when a branch will yield or when a tree will uproot. Even an arboriculturist, with all the best intentions in the world, cannot be 100% sure of what might happen. However, adopting good practice, it’s less likely to happen. As in any field, there are exceptions. Like, for example:
- A tree that has been severely topped several times must be reduced.
- A tree that grows underneath a power line must be topped.
- A softwood tree, known to break easily, tilting dangerously towards the house must be folded down.
It’s all different from tree to tree. The important thing is to take the time to choose the right pruning company. Ask for advice and make your choice by following what you have just read. If the company you contacted denies the information in this text, ask yourself questions about its competency. Many companies make themselves up pruners, but few know what is good or bad for your tree. In addition, some use poor tree pruning techniques. Keep in mind that even a light topping is not to your advantage since your tree will be tall in two to three years.
In conclusion, it’s true that this service is expensive, but remember that it’s better to pay a little more for an arboriculture company that will give you a courteous and quality service than to hire a handyman who will kill your tree in the long run. In addition, you’ll be assured that nothing will be broken in your yard or home and that pruning techniques will be done properly.
