While you might hate doing any type of yard work during winter, your trees will love you for doing so at this critical time that could hinder their development. Trees go dormant and lose much of their foliage, making them prime candidates for pruning. Plus, pests are kept at bay, allowing you more leeway to care for your trees without worrying about any potential infestation. Wintertime tree pruning sustains and prepares them for optimal growth once spring arrives. There are many good reasons why winter trimming is the most logical.
1. It Reduces Disease Risk
By trimming your trees and considering the unpredictable conditions that accompany wintertime, you reduce their chances of developing an infection via insects or other means.
When you’re pruning, you start by removing any dead or dying branches as well as limbs. Getting rid of any branches or limbs that are dead or diseased ensures that tree won’t be denied necessary nutrients. Make sure to cut well below the infected area when trimming diseased limbs, but never cut them while wet as this can lead to the disease spreading. Trees heal better during this time of year. So, reducing the chances of them contracting anything now means they will be in great shape once April rolls around.
2. Best Time to Spot Issues
Because trees are dormant during colder months, they lose foliage due to leaves being shed and dying since autumn. This period makes spotting any dead, dying, or dangerous branches much easier while examining whether your trees have any injuries or rot.
The shape and structure of deciduous trees are also easier to view in winter, making affected areas more obvious to prune. Any branches growing contrary to the tree’s growth pattern can be identified and pruned with ease. Sunlight and quality air aren’t as prominent in winter months, but trimming your trees while they are dormant allows them to capitalize on any bits of good weather when they happen.
3. No Competition
During the spring and summertime, trees are working hard to grow, produce, and photosynthesize in order to survive, making food and consuming energy.
Once winter arrives, trees become dormant, and a lot of that activity either stops or is limited. Given that fact, there are little to no competing activities occurring within the tree. So you can prune and examine at will. Your maintenance means trees can grow in the right way while maintaining structural beauty, with less stress.
4. It’s Economical
You will find that dormant trees take less time and effort to prepare. Plus, it’s easier to get equipment to the tree due to the ground being frozen at wintertime, resulting in less damage to your yard.
It saves money given the fact that the costs to trim or prune your tree if you opt for professional help, are lower. It also saves time because what needs to be done becomes more straightforward to diagnose and then carry out.
If you need assistance with tree upkeep as winter approaches, contact Jackson Tree Service for the best tree maintenance services St. Louis has to offer!