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Beneath the Trees: A Tree Care Website


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Beneath the Trees: A Tree Care Website

Have you ever visited a yard where the trees were bright green, magnificent, and oh-so lush? Did you find yourself wishing that your trees could look the same way? They can. They simply need the proper care. On this website, you will learn what that proper care entails. A lot of it comes down to proper trimming, but certain trees also thrive with fertilizer, extra water, or some wood mulch around their base. You'll also learn a bit about tree care companies and the services they provide, which will come in handy if you don't have the skills or equipment to do your own tree care.

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Key Mistakes To Avoid If You Trim Your Own Trees

If your trees are large, need a major re-shaping, or are very young, it is usually best to have a tree trimming professional handle the trimming. However, many homeowners are capable of doing their own basic tree trimming on mature trees that just need a little "touch-up." If you choose to do this, then you're more likely to get good results if you avoid the common mistakes below.

Mistake: Clipping the tips of branches

If a specific tree branch is longer than you want it to be, your first instinct may be to just clip the end of that branch off. But this is not a wise approach. Branches grow from their ends, so in clipping the ends of branches, you're removing the most "alive" part of the branch and compromising its health. Instead, when you come across a branch that is too long, you should remove the whole branch.

Mistake: Using dirty shears

You pull the shears out of the shed, use them to trim a tree, and then move on to the next tree. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. It might surprise you to learn that you should really sanitize the shears before you trim a tree. Sanitizing the shears will kill any infectious bacteria or fungi so you don't introduce disease to the tree when you trim it. Make sure you re-sanitize your shears after each tree, too.

Mistake: Cutting the leader

The leader is the main stem in the middle of your tree. It's the branch that is most directly connected to the trunk and that all of the other branches grow from. When trimming your tree, you need to avoid cutting the leader. If you do cut the leader, it will affect the shape of the tree in the long term, and it may also hinder its growth.

Mistake: Using dull shears

If your shears are too dull, they will tear and rip at the branches as you attempt to cut them. A tree has a hard time healing this type of shaggy wound. Make sure you have your shears sharpened before you trim trees so they can make precise, clean cuts so that the tree will heal more easily.

Trimming healthy, average-sized trees is not terribly difficult if you avoid the mistakes above. But if you do run into trouble or have a more intricate tree-trimming task ahead of you, it's best to call the pros instead. 

Contact a tree trimming service to learn more.