A good time for tree trimming in Albany, GA is really any time you want. However, for the sake of knowledge let’s get into the scientific aspects of it. Here we want to bring in an expert on the source. This is a book Titled The Pruning Handbook by Steve Bradley
“which have their buds arranged in pairs. If
the central stem is allowed to fork’ into
two stems, this can lead to the stem split-
ting in later years, resulting in the entire
tree being lost.
The amount of pruning and training
required will depend on the type and shape
of tree and as well as the desired effect. For
some trees, relatively little pruning is
required to produce a well-balanced speci-
men but for others a great deal of care and
attention is required.
TIMING
Most deciduous trees are pruned when
they are dormant in late autumn or winter
but they can be pruned at other times
depending upon the reasons for pruning.
However, there are exceptions, as some
subjects will ‘bleed’ heavily (exude sap) if
cut in late winter or early spring e.g. Acer
(Maple), Aesculus (Horse chestnut), Betula
(Birch) and juglans (Walnut). These will
all bleed extensively, often from early Feb-
ruary onwards, and for this reason they
are best pruned in the middle of summer
when they are in full leaf. Most evergreen
trees require little or no pruning other
than the removal of any dead, damaged or
diseased branches. This is best done in
late summer.
THE PRINCIPLES OF
PRUNING
In order to approach the task in hand com-
petently the first stage of pruning is to
remove any dead, dying, diseased or dam-
aged wood (the four Ds). This allows you to
assess the amount of live, healthy material
available. The second stage is to cut out any
weak or straggly shoots so that you have a
pretty good idea of what is left as a potential
framework to work with.
From this point, you are best able to
decide which branches should be pruned
back or removed to achieve well-balanced
growth. Care must be taken to work with
the habit of the tree rather than adopting a
pruning regime which is constantly fighting
the natural growth pattern of the plant you
are growing.
Remember that hard pruning stimulates
the production of large amounts of strong,
vigorous growth, whereas light pruning will
produce much more even growth of a more
uniform size and vigour. Great care must be
taken to ensure that all pruning cuts are
accurate and precise to reduce the damage
to the tree to an absolute minimum.
When cutting back a stem, always cut
immediately above a healthy bud, or with cer-
tain species e.g. Acer (Maple) and Aesculus
(Horse chestnut), make a straight cut with
sharp secateurs directly above a pair of buds.
With side shoots, cut just above a bud point-
ing in the intended direction of growth. If, for
example, you are thinning out congested
stems, cut back to an outward-facing bud or
shoot, which will prevent the new growth
from rubbing against other stems as it grows
The main categories of tree are deciduous
which shed their leaves in the winter, and
evergreen which retain their leaves in the
winter. “The evergreen group can be divided
into two:
1. Broad-leaved evergreens, e.g. Ilex
(Holly)
2. Conifers, e.g. Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
(Lawson’s Cypress)
DECIDUOUS TREES
Deciduous trees come in many shapes and
forms, the most common shapes being the
feathered tree and the standard. The feath-
ered tree has a natural shape with a central
main stem or leader, and branches arranged
from ground level up to the crown.”
This is an excellent part in context about the environmental factors pertaining to when a good time for tree trimming is. Now, tree removal is a different subject but as you can see different trees have different factors. Please call us if you are unsure about your tree. Thank you for visiting Albany Tree Trimming.