Tree pruning is one of the most popular services provided by many landscaping and lawn care companies. This makes sense, as no one wants a beautiful, majestic tree to suffer rot. Pruning helps avoid that, by removing the deadwood and excess growth from the tree. This helps the tree grow healthier, since its not trying to give energy and nutrients to dead growth.

However, many people don’t think about how beneficial dormant pruning is. This is when a tree is pruned during the dormant season. The dormant season is the winter, when the world is cold and trees go into their own form of hibernation. There are several huge benefits to this.

First and foremost, it’s less intrusive. That is, when the winter months roll around, a person is less likely to be utilizing their lawn for any reason. There probably won’t be any backyard cook outs or family ball games. There are unlikely to be any children who want to make use of the tree for pay time purposes. In addition, the various plants and flowers in the garden are less likely to be injured. They’re not in bloom during the winter, after all, so there’s less likely to be an impact from all the work being done.

Secondly, it helps give the arborist a much clearer view of the tree. With the leaves and green growth having fallen off, all that’s left on the tree is the branches. This allows the arborist to get a clear idea of what needs to be cut, and what should be left alone. It also helps them to see the winter buds, which is incredibly helpful in deciding what to prune.

Thirdly, it’s important for disease control. During the dormant months, it’s much easier to deal with disease control than during the spring and summer months, when the tree is growing and sucking up nutrients from the ground. There are some trees that are even impossible to manage during the non-dormant months!

There’s also storm readiness. When the arborist can see the tree without the weight of the foliage, they can get a much better idea of what parts will hold up to the high winds and heavy rains. That allows them to ensure the safety of the tree, and of your property.

Lastly, there’s an improved healing time. Pruning during the dormant months means that the healing process will be super charged during the spring. The spring is the time of new growth, when the tree is devoting the most energy and nutrients to itself. This means the wounds from pruning will be wiped away that much more easily.

Ultimately, pruning a tree can happen whenever the home owner thinks it’s the best time to do so. However, the dormant months really are a fantastic time to get the threes on one’s property pruned. It allows for so much better, easier pruning than trying to do it during the spring or summer months. So if there’s a tree that needs pruning, try calling as soon as possible, while it’s still the dormant season!