4 Serious Tree Pruning and Trimming Mistakes a Pro Can Help You Avoid

We understand caring for your lawn is your responsibility, but sometimes lawn maintenance simply means handling what you can and seeking help with what’s beyond your skills.

For example, suppose you undertake tree pruning while you have no idea what you’re doing, or you hire the unqualified handyman next door because you want to save some money, you may end up ruining the growth of your trees. You may also leave them susceptible to diseases, and in a worst-case scenario, they die.

So, to avoid that, we’ve compiled some of the most common tree trimming and pruning mistakes we see around the Tampa area.

  • Tree pruning during the wrong time
    While it may seem okay to trim or prune your trees any day, it’s not. Many trees benefit from pruning in mid or late winter because most trees are dormant at that time, so there won’t be any harm to them.
    However, an exception is with flowering trees. In their case, the early blooming types should be pruned in early spring since pruning them in winter will hinder them from blooming, and the late-blooming trees should be pruned right after their growing season.
    The point is, it’s essential to know your trees and when best to prune them.
  • Tree topping
    Topping is simply cutting off a big chunk from the top of a tree’s crown or almost all the leafy branches around the top part of the treetop. Some people believe the tree will bloom more.
    This is just an ugly mistake because you won’t see any blooms. Instead, you’ll end up with an ugly-looking tree with weakened branches.
  • Improper cutting
    This is a trimming mistake that involves cutting off the tree branches too close to the main trunk; you end up cutting off the branch collar.
    The branch collar has specialized cells that help heal a tree wound after cutting.
    So, without the branch collar cells, you’re simply opening the tree wound to countless diseases; you might as well have cut the whole thing down.
    Also, a wrong cut could mean you cut off too big of a branch chunk, which may fall on you or may end up splitting your tree trunk.
  • Over-pruning
    When you cut too much canopy, your tree may not be able to produce enough food to sustain itself. In fact, the recommended percentage is 15% to 20% of foliage, which is from a mature tree.

So, if you’ve been wondering why your trees are constantly dying, these might be reasons why. We recommend hiring professional lawn services for your tree trimming, and pruning needs to counter this.

Need Lawn Services for Your Trees in Tampa, FL?

Talk to our experts at Tampa Bay Lawn Service, LLC. We specialize in high-quality lawn care that includes tree trimming and pruning. And our services are affordable.

Get in touch with us today to find out more about our services.