Tree Pruning Impact and Frequency Recommendations, Part 2

In part one of this two-part blog, we went over some of the basic impacts of pruning your trees, plus some seasonal tips on when this should be done. Tree pruning and trimming services are vital to the long-term healthy of your trees, helping them shed dead or dying branches and stay healthy in both their branch and root systems.

At Reliable Tree Care, we’re here to offer branch structure pruning and several other tree trimming services at your convenience. How often should this be done? The answer depends on a few factors, including the tree species and your precise needs for it, but the most important factor here: The age of the tree. Mature trees tend to require a very different pruning routine than younger trees, and it’s important to understand these differences. With this in mind, here are some basics on pruning frequency based on tree age.

tree pruning impact frequency

New Trees

Young trees that are either new or just planted will be the neediest when it comes to pruning services – mainly because there’s no real way to “schedule” this out, per se. There’s no set time at which you should or shouldn’t prune young trees; rather, you should be pruning as necessary to remove broken or dying branches, plus any branches that have insect eggs or stings and are therefore enlarged.

One vital tip here: If at all possible, try to avoid pruning for the first few days or weeks to allow the tree to build a strong root system. Once this has happened, you can be a bit more liberal about when you prune.

3-to-4-Year-Old Trees

From planting up until about three years of age, observe the above when it comes to tree pruning. When the tree gets to about three or four years of age, however, it’s time to get a bit more serious about removing certain branch areas.

In particular, you’re looking for those areas that compete with general tree health. If the trunk is having trouble developing, for instance, this could be a sign that lower branches are taking too many nutrients – you may want to remove some to help the trunk grow properly. This is also a period where you can begin removing branches for future shaping or aesthetic reasons.

5-to-7-Year-Old Trees

If your tree has reached a height above your own head by this point, now is the time to begin cutting back or removing lower limbs that are above head height. Beyond this, most pruning at this stage is for aesthetic reasons.

Trees Over Age 15

Once trees reach age 15 or nearby, they’re considered mature and tend to require very little additional pruning. They should receive a visual inspection each spring, after which you should remove dead or damaged branches, but this is about the extent of it in most cases.

For more on how often you need to prune your trees based on their age, or to learn about any of our tree trimming or tree removal services, speak to the staff at Reliable Tree Care today.