Trees usually do a great job of taking care of themselves without any help from us. However, as a tree grows larger, its branches can start to interfere with your roof, your power lines, or even the health of the other plants in your garden. Deciding whether to grab a pair of shears or call a professional service is a common struggle for homeowners who want a beautiful yard but don’t want to spend money for no reason.
The Big Wins for a Healthy Tree
A good reason for trimming your trees is that it actually makes them stronger and helps them live a much longer life. When you remove overgrown tips and branches, you’re allowing more sunlight and airflow through the branches. A tree that has been thinned out is much less likely to tip over during a heavy windstorm. The air moves through the leaves instead of pushing against them. What’s more, when you cut back certain limbs, you can encourage more fruit or flowers to grow on the parts of the tree that remain.
The Hidden Downsides of Trimming
Trimming a tree incorrectly can actually do a lot of damage that might take years to fix. If you cut off too many branches at once, the tree can go into shock. It doesn’t have enough leaves to make food through photosynthesis. This leads to a frantic growth of water sprouts. These are thin, weak branches that shoot straight up and look like a mess. You also have to worry about the cost of professional services because tree work is dangerous and requires expensive insurance and gear. Hiring a crew to climb 50 feet into the air with chainsaws is not cheap. For a family on a budget, that bill can feel like a heavy weight on your shoulders.
The Danger of the DIY Approach
Many people think they can save a few hundred dollars by climbing a ladder and doing the work themselves. However, this is often where things go terribly wrong. Falling from a ladder is one of the most common causes of serious injury for homeowners. Heavy branches rarely fall exactly where you think they will. If a large limb swings the wrong way, it could smash through your bedroom window or crush your neighbor’s fence. You also have to know exactly where to make a cut, because cutting too close to the trunk prevents the tree from sealing the wound properly. Without that natural seal, bugs and fungus can crawl inside and eat the tree from the inside out.
The best way to handle your trees is to keep a close eye on them throughout the seasons and act only when it’s truly necessary. Talk to a local expert who can tell you which branches are structural and which ones are just extra fluff. If you have concerns or require tree trimming services, contact CBC Lawn & Tree in Lancaster, SC.