Tree pruning in Louisiana is an important professional service that can beautify and reinforce trees so they will withstand pests, diseases and severe weather – and look breathtaking while doing it!
Pruning should be completed if you want healthy trees, but it needs to be done properly by someone who has experience in what they’re doing. Like a certified arborist from LA Tree Trimming. You may be able to prune and trim trees safely while they are still small, but you also may be doing permanent harm to the tree.
To safely prune trees, you should know all of the following:
- When to prune your types of trees
- How much of the tree should be pruned at a time
- Where to cut each branch so you do not harm the tree
Pruning too much off of a tree might kill it or lead to structural damage, but minimal trimming done every year benefits trees in many ways. Professional pruning helps to improve the appearance of trees, makes them stronger, eliminates dead or diseased portions and increases fruit or flower production.
For the best results, pruning needs to be done annually, but as trees get older, you may be able to go two years between pruning services. Regardless of how often you have your trees pruned, ensure your arborist is qualified to do the type of tree pruning your trees need. This won’t be an issue if you call LA Tree Trimming in Louisiana!
Types of Tree Pruning Methods
There are 7 different ways to correctly prune a tree so that it grows stronger and healthier each year.
Depending on the size, species and health status of your trees, one pruning method may be more beneficial than another, but each technique has distinct benefits.
Crown Thinning Your Trees
Crown thinning is popular for older, overgrown trees in Louisiana. This technique removes weak branches within the crown of the tree to allow more sunlight and air flow through the crown. Air flow is especially important to help prevent disease.
This pruning method also gets rid of branches that are touching so they do not rub against each other and break or create weakened areas that can be an entry point for insects and pests. Branches that grow at strange angles are typically removed during crown thinning.
Crown Raising Your Trees
This tree pruning method removes branches and limbs at the lowest part of the crown so new limbs start higher up on the trunk. Allowing low branches to get too big makes them very difficult to cut off, and they can pull nutrients away from the top of the tree, which leads to less fruit and a weak tree.
There are many reasons you might choose to raise the crown of a tree. Often, it is done to clear the line of sight for cars and pedestrians, but it can be done to create space for landscaping under the tree.
It is a common technique for overgrown trees that are close to homes and buildings.
Crown Reduction
Crown reduction reduces the overall size of the crown from its exterior edges. It shortens limbs vertically and horizontally to maintain the tree at a certain size. By reducing the size of the crown, you can eliminate the need to chop down the tree because it won’t come into contact with traffic lights, power lines or street lights.
Even if the tree isn’t near structures like those listed above, crown reduction can make the tree look much better because it eliminates irregular growth. This is a good solution for trees that are a variety of ages but you want to look uniform.
Crown Cleaning
Often referred to as deadwood pruning, crown cleaning is a minimally invasive trimming technique that eliminates dead, snapped or diseased limbs so that the remaining sections of the tree may grow normally. These limbs can only create problems over time.
Crown cleaning helps to make the tree look a lot better, and it stops branches from rubbing together. And it is a safety practice that lowers the likelihood of falling branches, since healthy branches rarely fall.
Crown Restoration
Crown restoration is an advanced pruning technique for trees that were severely damaged (either by pests or weather). It must be performed by a certified arborist who knows how the tree is going to grow over time and roughly just how long it’s restoration will take.
Unlike other tree trimming services, crown restoration occurs over a longer period of time with conservative trimming that reshapes the tree. The arborist should have a definitive plan to restore the tree, but also be flexible as the tree grows and reshapes on its own, working with the tree’s new growth.
Vista Pruning
If you are striving for trees to help improve curb appeal, you are actually interested in vista pruning. The goal of vista pruning is to make the tree more aesthetically pleasing from a particular viewing point.
It encompasses many pruning techniques including crown thinning, crown cleaning and crown reduction – any technique that makes the trees look prettier. Remember, though, that a professional is not going to sacrifice the health of a tree, so the primary focus of vista pruning is still to create strong, healthy trees.
Espalier Pruning
Espaliered trees are heavily pruned to grow flat against walls or a trellis. It is a unique style of pruning that will draw a lot of attention to your landscape. Espalier pruning has to begin when the tree is very young and then continued very consistently throughout the tree’s life span.
of espalier pruning include facilitating maximum sunlight to reach the trees, as well as making it exceptionally easier to harvest fruit.
Professional Tree Pruning in Louisiana
Tree trimming can be harmful to a tree, your landscaping, and, of course, for you! LA Tree Trimming highly encourages professional tree pruning over DIY.
Aside from the many dangers of tree trimming, you can do a lot of damage to a tree if you don’t know how to trim it properly. Excessive pruning is one of the most common mistakes made by homeowners caring for their own trees.
Trees in Louisiana that get routine care from a professional are usually much better off, and hiring an experienced arborist from LA Tree Trimming to trim trees on your property is a decision you won’t regret. Locate your city in our service area. We work with arborists throughout the entire state of Louisiana!
