If the trees on your property are starting to look a little wild, it can be tempting to cut them back. While pruning is an essential step on the road to healthy plants, it’s often best left to the spring season rather than the fall. However, fall pruning may be necessary in some situations. Continue reading to learn more.
Save It for Spring
While fall can be a great time to add winter annuals and other desert plants to your garden, it’s best to only prune your trees if they have a large amount of dead branches. Why? The answer is actually very simple: Pruning is a method of encouraging new growth. If a tree’s branches are pruned in the fall, the tree won’t have enough time to heal the cut before cooler weather sets in.
Hunker Down
When cooler weather starts approaching, your plants will take the lower temperatures as a signal to start hunkering down for winter. Rather than waste energy on external phalanges that will take a beating from winter weather, trees will tend to focus on preserving their root systems. If the tree uses its valuable energy to heal a pruned branch, it won’t be able to properly feed its roots.
Focus on Other Elements of Tree Care for Fall
While pruning should usually be saved for the spring, there’s plenty you can do for your trees in the fall. One of the best things to do is give trees a deep watering towards the end of autumn—wait until after the leaves have fallen, but make sure to water before the ground gets too hard to absorb the liquid. You can also mulch in the fall. Mulch will protect the roots of your plants from harsh weather while also delivering valuable nutrients to the soil.
Ready to prepare your trees for the winter months? Contact Complete Landscaping at 520-323-8918 to see how our professional team of certified arborists can preserve your garden.