Whether your trees are meant to add beauty to your yard or add to its commercial value, they’ll always require care and pruning. If you’re interested in learning about the benefits, then this is the blog post for you.

 

Some of the top pruning benefits (in general) include:

• Promoting the growth of young trees.
• Helping prevent a tree’s (or plant’s) degeneration.
• Making them look structured, and beautiful, thereby adding to your home’s aesthetic value.

 

Top benefits of pruning trees

The benefits mentioned above are far from convincinganyone to opt for tree pruning. However, we hope that the following list help you realize the worth of pruning trees in Canterbury. Let’s dig right in 

 

1. Tree pruning helps maintain the trees’ overall health

Pruning refers to the process of removing (cutting) any dead, decaying, or infected branches from your tree. This is done to protect the rest of the tree from getting infected and defer early death. Furthermore, it helps create more space for air and sunlight to reach out to the thicker portions of the tree. Remember, photosynthesis requires sunlight. And to get sunlight through the lower areas of the tree, there needs to be some space above for the light to penetrate. 

 

2. For the sake of your safety and the ones around you

The dead and decayed branches that we talked about just now, can somewhat pose a threat. For example: during a thunderstorm or heavy rainfall these branches can hit the neighbouring trees and houses, causing unprecedented damage around. This is pretty risky —especially for you and your neighbours as it may potentially break the window, damage your car’s windshields, cause a mess on the patio, and so on. Therefore, if the damage is too high, you may have to opt for tree felling or hedge trimming services at your home.

 

It doesn’t end there though. Unpruned branches eventually can end up creeping around the powerlines, which, again, can become quite dangerous. Pruning will help cut these accident-prone branches and therefore, reduce the chances of any tragic situations.

3. Promote fruit production

Pruning trees, especially, during the later stage of winter (this is when trees store their energies) helps boost fruit produce, throughout the spring and summer.  It’s a no-brainer that if the tree has less volume to deal with (no extra branches or leaves), it can use that saved-up energy to produce fruits.

 

4. Well-pruned trees increase your property’s value

Would you judge a property by its undermanaged yard and unpruned trees? If your answer is yes, then expect to have the same reaction by others too. Shaggy, old-decaying, and loosely-hung branches can make your property look unpleasant and this leads to a certain de-valuation in the eyes of a potential investor (in the event you decide to sell your property someday). 

 

A yard with well-pruned trees, on the other hand, can attract a lot of buyers with its beauty and perhaps raise the market value of your home. It’s a psychological thing – the more appealing an object looks, the sooner it may be purchased. It looks more valuable and hence, more people are willing to spend more money on the subject property.

 

If you think pruning is not going to be enough, you can call our experts to know about hedge trimming in Canterbury.

 

5. Growth Control

Trees, like all other living beings, continue their growth (at least till a certain period of time). An analogy we can think of is how our hair grows throughout the year. If you don’t trim or maintain it, it’ll keep growing, therefore becoming a pain to manage, and may lead to split ends and unsightly tangles. However, whilehaving long hair won’t be harmful to you, an overgrown tree can. It may even grow to the extend that its branches may start poking through your neighbour’s windows, or cause harm around your property during a thunderstorm or any extreme weather. 

 

The mess created may eventually make you contact your arborist in Canterbury for a tree felling service—which will be, comparatively, more expensive than a normal tree pruning service. We reiterate, pruning your trees is one of the most efficient ways to control their growth.

 

6. Possibility of a better view of the sunset, post-pruning

Imagine, after a toiling day, you brewed up a cup of coffee and all you wanted was to enjoy it while admiring the view outside. But could you? You’ve ignored those overgrown branches for so long that they have managed to block the view for you.

 

Tree pruning can be an option if the job is within the manageable range. Otherwise, you can always go for hedge trimming services from a professional arborist in Canterbury.

 

So, which parts of the tree should be pruned?

As a thumb rule, avoid cutting off parts of the tree randomly while tree pruning in Canterbury. Otherwise, this can turn into a blunder. You may not be trained to understand that certain parts of your tree should be kept, while the others must be removed. It’s best to consult a professional about this. 

Dead, decayed, and infested branches

While pruning, aim for those branches or limbs which are dead or have begun rotting.

Firstly, because they’re no longer useful, therefore keeping them will only prove meaningless. Secondly, dead and decayed branches are detrimental to the tree’s overall health since the decay might spread to other areas of the tree.

 

Any crossing branches

When tree pruning in Canterbury, cut all the branches that are growing inwards, towards the core portion, than the ones growing outwards. This is because they brush against other branches in the wind, causing their bark to peel off. They may also prove to be pretty vulnerable to insect and fungal infestations, as a result of this.

 

Lower Branches

This area is known as the “canopy lift”. This is an area you should trim if you want to provide more pathways for sunlight and air to reach the tree’s centre.

 

What are some of the disadvantages of wrong tree pruning?

 

• A tree’s structure can get weakened by poor pruning.

 

• Excessive pruning can decrease a tree’s life, stunt its natural growth, and cause internal and external wounds that don’t heal correctly.

 

• When a tree is pruned using the wrong methods, it can sometimes lead to the growth of microbes, mushrooms, fungus, and bacteria, which may lead to its limb’s deterioration.

 

• It’s crucial that a tree is pruned at the right time, otherwise you may be doing more harm than good. While pruning newly-developed trees in Canterbury, one must be careful as to how much it should be pruned and in what way. Ignoring this rule might expose them to shocks and strains, preventing their healthy growth and sustenance.

 

Conclusion

Trees in your landscape can highlight the aesthetic beauty and qualities of your house or even hide unwanted views. However, in some cases, you may need to clear your trees to make more space.

 

Consider the drawbacks of removing trees from your yard before calling a hedge trimming and tree felling services in Canterbury, and then make a decision based on your goals.

 

Not pruning your tree may lead to the following consequences: 

 

• It incurs expenses
• Since the soil is susceptible to erosion, it affects the ecosystem.
• Reduces the beauty and serenity of the environment
• Reduces food and pollinator
• Loss of habitat
• Loss of biological diversity
• Carbon dioxide emission

 

We hope that you’re now aware of DIY tree pruning’s advantages and disadvantages.  However, if you wish to leave all the drama then allow a professional to handle the job for you.

 

ProArb Canterbury offers high-quality tree care services, from tree pruning to hedge trimming to tree felling services and so on in North Canterbury, Christchurch, Rangiora, Kaiapoi and Waimakariri District. To book an appointment, give us a call today.