Watching a tree grow is fun. At least until it grows into an intimidating giant tree trespassing on your neighbor’s property or growing into utility lines. Then, you’ll go from admiring the tree to thinking about how you can keep it from growing too tall or too wide.
Can you keep a tree from growing? You can! Monster Tree Service of Music City, the number one choice for top-notch tree service in Nashville, TN, discusses how to prevent a tree from growing in this post.
Standard Pruning
Good old pruning remains one of the best ways to keep your tree from growing too tall. During proper pruning, you’ll need to carefully remove some branches from the tree. This also thins out the leaves on the tree, cutting down on how much nutrients the tree can absorb.
It makes one of the best approaches for hindering tree development as long as you know how to prune and also do it in early spring when it’s safe.
Root Pruning
Tree roots play an important role in the nutrient absorption process. Therefore, strategically pruning them is one of the best approaches to preventing unwanted tree growth.
When exploring how to prevent a tree from growing using this method, you have to weigh the pros and cons of the process. If you make any mistakes, you may end up stopping tree growth completely.
Use Plant Growth Regulators
The two options above for managing tree growth are largely reactive. You have to wait for the tree to grow to a certain size before pruning. Using plant growth regulators or inhibitors offers a more proactive way to stop tree growth. These products contain hormones you can inject into the base of the tree.
The hormones will cause the tree to produce shorter or fewer offshoots, reducing the size of the tree over time. However, these hormones may not work for every tree. You’ll also need to know the right quantity to use. Otherwise, you may do more than inhibit tree growth.
Avoid Topping
Most people thinking about how to prevent a tree from growing believe “topping” is a good idea. This approach involves cutting all the main branches back to the stubs. Unfortunately, it’s one of the most harmful ways to stop your tree from growing.
Those branches will grow back, but they will be much weaker than before, increasing the risk of breakage. Many trees also struggle to recover from topping, leaving wood tissues exposed to pest invasion and possible decay.
If you want to reduce the size of your tree by removing branches and foliage, talk to a professional tree services company about pruning.
Get Expert Guidance From Your Local Experts
Do you need further guidance on how to prevent a tree from growing? Do you want to talk to a professional about the right tree growth control methods for your yard? The team at Monster Tree Service of Music City can help.
Our experienced team can use tree pruning and crown-density reduction to keep your tree at an acceptable height.
Call Monster Tree Service of Music City today at (615) 455-2009 to schedule a consultation.