If you’ve considered landscaping your own property, it’s important to avoid many of the mistakes that people make when tree trimming. Pruning your tree the wrong way can severely harm or even kill your trees. Here are some tips to keep in mind when pruning the trees on your property.

What Not to Do When Tree Trimming

1. Trimming Too Much

When it comes to trimming tree branches, cutting off too much can cause the branch to rot from the inside out, ultimately killing the branch. Sometimes, this rot spreads beyond the branch and kills the rest of the tree. Pruning too much of your tree’s branches can kill the branch, causing rot that can run into the tree and kill it from the inside out.

2. Trimming Too Little

Similar to cancer, tree rot tends to spread to the healthy parts of the tree nearby. When the goal of your tree trimming is to get rid of existing rot, it’s important to remove just enough of the branch to ensure no rot is left behind and allowed to spread and further injure or kill your tree.

3. Removing Too Many Leaves

Trees, like all plants, feed on sunlight through a process called photosynthesis, which occurs in the leaves. Therefore, when it comes to tree trimming, keep in mind that the more leaves you remove, the harder it will be for your tree to absorb the nutrients it needs to stay alive. By removing too many leaves, you could literally starve your tree to death. 

4. Neglecting Tree Trimming Tools

Most people neglect to sharpen and take care of their tree trimming tools. By failing to keep your tools sharp, you could be doing more harm than good. Dull tools will result in rougher, more jagged cuts, which prevent your tree from healing and regrowing properly, resulting in rot and decay. 

5. Forgetting to Plan Before Planting

When planting trees in smaller spaces, it’s important to take into account the average height and size of the tree at maturity to make sure it will have room to grow naturally. Over-reliance “topping” the tree (trimming the top) to keep it confined to the space where it’s planted can offset the balance of the tree and cause it to grow in an unnatural, misshapen manner — or even kill it. 

If you want the trees on your property to look good and last for years, get in touch with Sherwood’s Tree Service. Servicing residential and commercial clients throughout Honolulu, HI, their services include tree trimming, pruning, and removal. For more information, visit them online or call them at (808) 537-9705.