Best Way of Pruning to Make Your Garden Look Beautiful

Pruning is the best and the probably the most basic tree maintenance technique that has been around for decades now. Pruning can result in the most adverse effect in response to the action that is performed. Trimming the trees at regular intervals can promote its growth and increase the quality of its product (fruits, flowers) as well. Apart from enabling proper growth, an effective pruning can make your garden more appealing, and make it a more pleasant area to be around, rather than just some random collection of flowers and trees.

Unlike forest trees, the garden trees that people normally grow in their backyard requires constant pruning and maintenance to aid their structural growth and also for aesthetic purpose as well.

The purpose of pruning

The purpose of pruning can vary from one tree to another depending on the size, shape or the purpose of the tree itself. The most common purpose of pruning is to remove dead branches and reduce the magnitude of risks that it poses (falling down randomly). Other purposes of pruning include improving the form of the tree, maintaining the tree's growth, and also to improve the quality of the tree's product. In some cases where people deal with tall and thick trees, pruning is done to increase the penetration of air and sunlight through the thick branches as well. So, in general, there is no such "conventional" purpose of pruning the tree, instead of pruning is more like a multi-functional maintenance procedure.

Different Techniques of Pruning

Pruning serves a different purpose for different people and of course different types of trees as well. It is therefore vital to understand different types of techniques involved in pruning and the purpose of each technique.

·        Cleaning

Cleaning is the most common technique of pruning that everyone is familiar with. Cleaning is simply the process of removing any dead branches or weak branches that are at risk of falling down and poses a risk to people walking below the tree. This technique requires minimum pruning skills as it simply involves the removal of dead/infected branches. However, dead branches at considerable heights require trained arborists to do it without getting hurt.

·        Thinning

The term is pretty much self-explanatory, and it involves cutting branches even if they are not dead or infected in order to improve the form of the tree. In the case of large/tall trees, thinning serves the purpose of increasing air and light penetration to make your garden airier. Thinning also reduces the weight of heavy branches on one another and helps the tree take its natural form.

·         Raising

Raising is another technique of pruning where the trees are trimmed in order to provide pedestrian clearance or building clearance as well. In most cases, trees grow up at random pace and uncontrollable direction which eventually starts hindering the vision of a building or the road itself.

·        Reduction

Reduction, as the name suggests, is a technique of pruning which serves the primary objective of reducing the height of the tree. This is done in order to provide a clearance area for electrical transmission lines. Reduction technique deals with tall heights; they are best done with the help of tree removal professionals. 

Difference between Reduction and Topping

The topping is again another technique that is similar to Reduction. Both the techniques involve reducing the height of the tree in order to provide clearance, either for electrical lines or obstructions to buildings. However, there is a vast difference between the two techniques that cause the tree to either grow more properly or to stop its growth completely.

The topping is the process of removing the entire tree branches leaving only the main trunk leaving numerous stubs. As discussed earlier leaving a stub is never good for the tree's growth, and it contributes negatively to the tree's development. Topping can leave the tree exposed to insects that can further damage the overall growth of the tree. Once the entire branches are cut down, there is a very minimal chance that the tree will ever grow back again, and even if it does, it either takes too long to grow, or the quality of the tree diminishes massively even after it starts growing back again.

Instead of topping the tree, you can either follow the reduction technique to remove some excess branches or simply remove the entire tree and plant a different type/species of tree that is more suited for your backyard or your surroundings.

When it comes to pruning a tree, it should be approached with utmost seriousness. Taking the assistance of your local arborists like Tree Pruning Sydney can increase your chances of producing the most positive results from pruning and also guide in pruning at the right time (season) as well.