Five Reasons to Prune Your Trees Now (Really!)

The air is cold. Trees are bare and stark, with snow clinging to some branches. The January landscape has settled into its mid-winter bleakness.

Any sort of landscaping or yard work might seem counterintuitive, even illogical.  Yet … this is a perfect time to prune most trees. Really.

Don’t believe us? Here are five reasons why the dead of winter is ideal for trimming trees – and maybe even saving you some money.

1. Trees are dormant. They don’t grow. All their energy is available to repair a fresh pruning cut, and ready the tree for new growth in spring. In contrast, trees pruned during growing season have to redirect energy to heal the new wound, slowing their growth.
2. Barren of leaves, a tree’s shape is completely visible. Branches can be trimmed to achieve a desired appearance. Areas that should be pruned to promote long-term health – broken limbs and dead wood - are obvious.
3. The cold eliminates concerns of disease, fungus or insects harming trees.
4. The frozen ground reduces concerns about soil compaction, especially if heavy equipment is used. Compaction prevents water from soaking into the ground, curtailing most plant growth.
5. Winter is a slow time for many landscaping companies and tree services. Bargains abound. Let the timing help your wallet.

Depending on the heights involved, Grounds Maintenance Services might be able to prune your trees. If not, we’ll recommend a trusted arborist for the job in Brookfield, New Berlin or Elm Grove, WI.

This ideal window for pruning most trees generally runs through March. The only exceptions are evergreens, which grow year-round. These are best trimmed in the summer, the opposite of deciduous species.

Similar to trees, winter is an ideal time to trim back bushes, which are also dormant. An overgrown shrub is a welcoming winter home for small animals. These critters often chew the plant’s bark. If a bush is close to a house, the animal might even be tempted to take a look inside.

Just because it’s cold out, doesn’t mean you can’t get something done in your yard. If trees and bushes need pruning, why wait? We might be in the dead of winter, but they’ll be ready for new life when spring gets here.