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How To Fix Pruning Mistakes on Your Trees in South Charlotte, NC: Four Tips

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A good pruning job on your trees and shrubs can make them stand out amongst your landscaping. On the other hand, a poor pruning job can do the same thing in the wrong way! 

Proper tree pruning has many benefits. Enlisting the assistance of professional tree-cutting services in Charlotte, NC can help maintain the health of your trees for years.

Monster Tree Service of South Charlotte explains how to fix pruning mistakes below so your trees continue to contribute to your beautiful landscaping and curb appeal.

Mistake #1: Overgrowth 

The first pruning mistake is failing to prune at all! This can lead to overgrown trees, which can weigh down the branches and cause breakage.

It can also affect the tree's ability to grow steadily. Prune away old, dead, or damaged branches to help stimulate new growth. 

Mistake #2: Pruning During the Wrong Season

While this is not an exact science, pruning during the winter or early spring can help protect any buds or flowers that would normally bloom in the summer or early fall.

If you cut down those blooms, you simply have to wait until winter to prune again, being careful to avoid those important buds. 

Mistake #3: You Cut off the Top of Your Tree 

Cutting off the top of your tree is perhaps one of the most troublesome tree-trimming mistakes you can make because of the potential consequences. It forces the tree to ramp up leader growth to replace the one lost. This can result in multiple leaders competing with each other, eventually compromising the strength of the entire tree in the process. 

Wondering how to fix pruning mistakes of this size? Pick a leader to re-establish by pruning out competitors and other quickly growing branches. The remaining branch will become more dominant and will eventually take over as the sole leader. 

Mistake #4: You Cut Back the Biggest or Longest Branches on Conifers

If you have a healthy conifer tree on your property, its branches are thick, full, and long. Once the branches become too large, the simple solution is to just cut them back. However, that leaves a branch stub sticking out, and conifers rarely recover from this. The new buds on conifers are almost always on the ends of branches, so cutting them backstops their growth. 

To fix this, remove the branch stub all the way back to the trunk or cut back to the next healthy branch. Eventually, new buds will appear near that cut. 

Reliable Tree Trimming Services in South Charlotte

If you are on the hunt for how to fix pruning mistakes or if you are nervous about doing any of the above tasks on your own for safety reasons, give Monster Tree Service of South Charlotte a call. In addition to our professional tree removal services, we also offer: 

Ready to finally remedy your pruning mistakes? Contact Monster Tree Service of South Charlotte today at (704) 741-4432 to talk to a professional arborist about our tree services.