Stop—Don’t Make These Mistakes When Trimming Your Trees

If you love a beautiful yard, you understand that trimming your trees helps your trees look better and encourages healthier growth. While trimming your bushes and shrubs can be relatively easy, taking on the limbs and branches of your trees can be a much more significant undertaking.

Unfortunately, if not done right, you may injure your trees and sustain physical injury to yourself due to your efforts. Here are a few mistakes homeowners often make when trimming their trees. 

1. Not Knowing Your Limitations

Tree trimming is more involved than the professionals make it look. It takes more than climbing a ladder and using a chainsaw to remove damaged or diseased branches or unruly growth. Trees and tree limbs can be heavy. Several things determine the weight of the tree, including the following: 

• Species
• Diameter
• Height
• Shape
• Season

A tree, or even a tree limb, can be much heavier than you think, while average full-grown trees can weigh up to a ton or more. You need to take numerous safety measures when cutting or trimming your trees. Some of these include:

• Identifying potential safety hazards
• Knowing the location and avoiding power lines
• Remaining clear of potential fall zones
• Using appropriate safety equipment
• Knowing the capabilities and limitations of your equipment

Failing to take these measures can lead to catastrophic accidents. 

2. Not Having the Proper Equipment

Trimming your trees involves more than taking your chainsaw outside and cutting off branches. You may need to invest in multiple tools to do the job right. The right tools will give you the best cut without crushing or damaging your tree's tissues.

For example, hand pruners are ideal for branches thinner than 1 inch, but you may want to use loppers for larger branches up to two inches. You may need a pruning saw if your branches are three inches or slightly larger, but you may need a rope saw if your branches exceed 5 inches. 

You may also need a pole pruner, depending on the location of the branches you are trying to cut. You may need rope to secure your limbs, as well as safety climbing equipment. It is also essential to maintain your equipment. While sharpened tools can provide a clean cut, dull tools take more time and could potentially damage your remaining wood.

3. Over Pruning

Many people feel that if they take the time to prune their trees, they need to prune them back far enough that they do not have to do it again anytime soon. Unfortunately, this is the wrong approach. A good rule of thumb is to never remove more than 25 to 30 percent of a tree's foliage within a year, and within 2-4 years when properly maintained. Over-pruning can damage, disfigure, or even kill your trees. 

Over-pruning can cause nutritional deficiencies or weaken your tree's branches. The tree's inability to draw this needed food from its foliage causes the lack of nutrients. Nutrient-deficient trees will also have difficulty fending off diseases and insect invasions. 

4. Not Hiring a Professional Tree Service

No matter how much you feel you will save by trimming your trees yourself, not hiring a professional tree service could cost you more. If you do not cut your trees correctly, you will spend more money replacing dead, damaged, or pest-infested trees around your home. 

Let Baumann Tree assist you in obtaining beautiful, healthy foliage in your yard. We have more than 30 years of experience. Our ISA-certified arborists understands the importance of a good trim and knows how to perform the task for the best outcomes safely. Give us a call today and schedule an appointment for us to help you trim your trees.