While the end of winter is finally approaching, there is still time to tackle jobs around the garden, such as general tree care.
Some of these jobs can be overlooked or forgotten during winter, but we are here to remind you.
Pruning during the dormant season adds incredible value to the tree’s growth and benefits the tree’s health.
Why Prune Before The Start Of Spring?
Now is the perfect time to prune your trees before the leaves start growing in the spring. The latest you can prune them is late August or early September.
It’s better to prune deciduous trees in winter for the following reasons:
- First, the tree’s structure is more visible when the leaves have fallen. Therefore, it is easier for an arborist to prune the tree and spot any damaged branches or diseases.
- Cool temperatures reduce the stress on the plant from pruning.
- There are fewer diseases in winter as they hibernate. So, pruning is beneficial during this time since they are less likely to be transmitted during the winter.
- Pruning in winter to stimulate new growth in spring is the perfect time since the plants will get a lot of sunlight, nutrients and moisture.
All trees and plants are different, so they don’t all require pruning in winter. However, if you are unsure, please contact our team to verify.
What Happens When You Don’t Prune Your Trees?
In New Zealand, not pruning a tree can negatively affect people’s homes. We all know, it can damage or scratch the house from the exterior if not correctly cared for over the years.
It can also have other problems that some property owners might sometimes overlook.
Once the leaves start growing in spring, they can influence the health of your home.
- Less light will come through the house if your tree canopy is overgrown. Therefore, the rooms will be darker and colder since the sun isn’t warming the house. For rentals, this means your power bill might increase.
- Also, when a tree blocks the light from the sun, there will be more moisture in the house and mould growth. When you live in an older home, this can be pretty challenging.
- When too many trees around a property aren’t cared for properly, it can result in a lack of air movement around the house. Eventually, this problem will create other issues such as colder temperatures inside the home, mould increase, etc.
- Mould can sometimes appear on a driveway when there isn’t enough sunlight because of the presence of a tree nearby. As a result, it will become slippery and could cause injuries.
- When trees grow in spring, we sometimes forget how big they can become, affecting the accessibility of an emergency vehicle, like an ambulance, police vehicle or firetruck.
You still have time to inspect the trees around your home and contact us to prepare them for the next season.
If you need more tips on preparing your garden for this spring, get started with our 5 Spring Tree Care Tips.
