Tree trimming at regular intervals is essential to prevent problems triggered by dead limbs of the tree-like damage to the landscape and/or the roof, apart from ensuring tree health.  It is also essential to trim the tree/s correctly since incorrect trimming can do more harm than helping the tree.  Following are some of the common mistakes associated with tree trimming.

1. Timing

Generally, many homeowners wait until the tree appears somewhat overgrown before pulling out their shears. But, if you do not pick the right season to prune the tree, you could be inviting negative consequences. Another important factor is pruning the tree when it is already suffering an insect attack. In this case, by pruning before addressing the insect attack, the sap flowing from the cuts will help the insects to spread the attack causing great damage to the tree and perhaps even its eventual death.  Yet another impact from pruning at the wrong time, it could thwart fruit production and bloom. For trees that do not bloom and others like conifers, pruning is best done during late winter. Blooming trees, on the other hand, should be pruned during spring just after the blooming starts. However, the singular exception to this is dead branches which should be eliminated whenever they are noticed.

2. Sanitation

Sanitation is important for your trees too. Like animals and humans, trees are also susceptible to several bacteria and infectious fungi. These pathogens also spread from one tree to the other with ease during pruning when your shears are not properly sanitized. Before you start pruning, you should wipe the shears using rubbing alcohol and repeat this when you shift from one tree to the other taking care to ensure that the surface of the shears is completely dry before you take on another tree.  Good sanitation should also focus on proper cleanup and you should not allow the fallen leaves and branches to stay on the ground below the tree. These could present another harbouring point for insects and fungi and therefore should be disposed off far away from the trees.

3. Choosing wrong branches

Proper pruning means a lot more than simply trimming random branches with an eye on the shape of your tree. Close attention should be paid to which branches need pruning so that you do not weaken the tree. Random pruning will also impact the shape of the tree over a period of time making it less appealing.  You can start with removal of dying or dead branches and proceed to remove branches which join the trunk or limb at v-shaped angles. Compared to thicker branches focus on smaller branches whenever feasible.

4. Cutting through branch collar

A branch collar is the part of the branch that is closest to the base. This part of branch has a huge bundle with vascular tissue. When you cut through this, the tree loses plenty of sap and the wound takes significantly longer to heal. Oftentimes, homeowners tend to cut through the branch collar in their effort to cut the branches flush with the tree trunk.  But, ideally, you should leave about an inch of stub and cut right after the collar.

5. Dull shears

Before starting the pruning activity, do you invariably check your shears? It is very important that the blades are very sharp so that you can achieve clean and sharp pruning. Dull blades, on the other hand, can cause rough wounds and your tree will have a hard time to heal. Further, you may also accidentally damage branch collars when you work hard making several chops to get rid of the branch.  Therefore, if you are planning a DIY for tree pruning, you should also invest in a good pair of shears that are truly sharp and more importantly you should also sharpen them once every year.

6. Clipping only the ends

When you clip only at the top of the branches, you are not removing enough weight to prevent the branches falling away from the trunk when those branches are decayed or diseased. You need to get behind the decayed area and in some instances, the decay may also be inside the tree which you cannot see. For such branches, you should trim the whole branch to prevent the decay from spreading and impacting the trunk of the tree. You can also cut the larger branches into small pieces using a wood chipper machine.

7. Excessive trimming

As with many other things in life, too much can be detrimental to tree trimming also. If you remove too many branches, you are exposing the trunk to sunlight significantly and denying much of the nutrients. Though you may have to prune some branches to afford protection to wires or home under the tree, it is desirable to cut the minimum number of branches and wait for several months before taking up another pruning exercise. This way, the looped branches get healthier and stronger before the next round of pruning.  In the process, you will also ensure that the tree itself suffer any damage due to excessive pruning and gets the right amount of nourishment it needs.

Conclusion

By avoiding the mistakes listed above, you can be significantly more successful with your trimming job. A better approach would be to hire an experienced and expert professional to do this job for you