6 good reasons to prune your trees
Regular pruning of your trees should be part of your garden maintenance. But what exactly is the purpose or goal of pruning?
If you leave your trees to just do their thing, most likely they would be fine. But if you prune them you can enjoy some specific benefits such as:
1. Clearer views from windows
One of the most obvious ways to add more sun to your home and improve the view is to prune the trees that are adjacent to doors and windows. You’ll be surprised how much more light this will let in.
2. Less obstruction
Pruning can help keep your trees clear of the house, which means less leaf litter in your gutters. It also reduces the risk of your trees hitting power lines or your neighbour’s houses.
3. Reduced risk of accidents from falling limbs
Old or damaged trees with dead limbs or rotten branches can be a real hazard. Keep on top of the pruning so that you don’t have to stress about a tree coming through your lounge room window in the event of a big storm.
4. Tree health
By removing old or dead limbs from your trees, you reduce the risk of the tree getting overtaken by insects and disease. Your tree can focus on new growth rather than trying to support branches that are beyond help. Just encourage a tree’s natural shape is a great way to improve its ability to grow and flourish.
5. Add more sun to your garden
Give the plants on the ground more sun by keeping your trees in check. Too much shade can hinder the growth of your flowers and veggies; so regular pruning can really help.
6. Improve fruit production
Many people have fruit trees that either don’t produce much, or they produce fruit that doesn’t taste great. Besides just making a mess of your garden, this is such a waste. Regular pruning can help the tree focus on producing more (and better quality) fruit, as less energy is wasted on extra branches. The same idea applies with trees that produce too much of poor quality fruit – give the tree less branches to focus on in order to improve the final product.
How do you keep your trees looking their best? We would love to hear from you in the comments.