Pruning 101

Spring is a busy time spent cleaning up the yard and getting garden areas planted and growing.  Pruning the bushes are trees in your yard is an important step in this process that should not be overlooked.  In fact, pruning should be completed carefully annually.  Let’s look at the purpose of pruning and how it can be beneficial to the overall health and beauty of your lawn and garden.

• What is pruning?  Pruning is the removal of live or dead branches from standing trees for the improvement of tree structure and/or health. This may include the removal of diseased plant parts, suckering growth or excess branches.Trees and shrubs are pruned to promote and maintain healthy plant growth, through the removal of diseased or insect infested plant parts, suckers, dead branches or excess branches.

• Benefits of Pruning – Pruning a tree can have many benefits. The first and most important is keeping the people around it safe. A dead branch can fall from a tree at any time, endangering nearby people, buildings, and power lines. Proper pruning also increases plant vigor and helps you manipulate its shape. Pruning lets the sunshine in, which invigorates bushes by stimulating the growth of buds, leaves and branches. Pruning can also rejuvenate declining, overgrown and neglected shrubs.

Proper pruning should be done throughout the year depending upon the type of tree or bush.  Talk to your local professional landscaper like Peace of Mind to discuss proper trimming and care of your valued trees and bushes.