Living in a green city is amazing. Trees clean the air, reduce temperatures in summer and add a tonne of curb appeal to your property.
On the flip side, if you have a large tree in your yard that is not maintained properly then it can be a hazard to persons and property all the whole turning your property into an eyesore.
The best way to maintain a tree is the prune them, but don’t take my word for it, here are 10 great reasons why you really should prune your trees.
What? No really… When you have an overgrown yard with lots of shade, mosquitos can hang out day or night. Being the blood-sucking vampires they are, they do not like sunlight.
By regularly trimming your trees you allow more sunlight into your yard. This in turn doesn’t allow mosquitos to hang around while you are trying to garden.
Saves native birds
Cats are great…. hunters! Well, they are actually a great all-round pets, but doing what they do naturally is not all that great for our native birds. By performing a canopy lift on your trees, you will remove hiding places that cats use (hiding at ground level behind trees and bushes) to hunt birds in your garden.
Reduces your energy bills
Pruning your tree to let light into your home also increases the heat of your home. The morning winter sun on the sidewall of your home or coming through your window makes a huge difference to your room temperatures indoors. This means less energy is needed to bring your house up to and maintain temperature when you switch the heating on.
That’s great but what about in summer?
When done right you can actually have a cooler house in winter too. It will depend on a few factors like the type of tree you have and the orientation of your home.
These are trees that lose their leaves in winter and grow them back in summer. So if you get your tree thinned out for the winter, enough light can get through to heat your home. Once spring comes around and the tree bursts into life, the leaves shade your home from the sun. It’s a win-win.
During the colder months the sun is a lot lower in the sky. By removing the lower branches of your tree you allow the sun to hit your windows and walls during winter, but when the sun is higher in summer it shades the heat.
It is estimated that an average home can reduce the use of air conditioning by as much as 30% using trees as a shade against scorching sun.
Dead branches are no joke
Deadwood refers to mostly small branches that have died and are waiting to crop off. They vary in size depending on the size of your tree but pose a high amount of risk to your life and property.
They are prone to falling off during storms and heavy winds. In fact, a dead branch can fall off even in perfect weather conditions.
Once spotted, you need to remove dead tree branches before they come done on their own.
In most cases, the dead branches will just break some roof tiles or dent the bonnet of your car, but if someone happens to be under the tree at the time, especially a child, it can lead to severe injury and even death.
What’s worst your insurer may not even pay for the damages citing the damage to be negligence on your part. Deadwood also poses dangers to the health of the tree as it is a way for borers and other pests to enter your tree where they normally would not be able to on a healthy tree.
Increases the value to your property
Reality experts say that a well-maintained yard can enhance a property’s value anywhere between 5 – 20%. Improving the curb appeal of the property is among the top priorities for homeowners and the best place to start is in your garden by pruning your trees.
Best way to add value
If you do plan of selling your home, you are best doing this a few months before the house goes on the market. This gives the trees a chance to settle into the new haircut and grow a little.
To see how much tree trimming will cost and whether it will be worthwhile, check out the tree trimming cost guide here for pricing and information on how to save.
As discussed above dead branches can be hazardous, but they also look bloody ugly. Removing them with instantly enhance your garden.
This refers to removing some lower branches of your tree to allow more sunlight onto your lawn and house. This brightens your home and actually allows your lawn to grow in thicker.
Greens Your Lawns
A shady landscape can be a big challenge for any homeowner. If you are one who aspires to have a beautiful lawn in your yard, then you need to make sure it gets full sunlight by keeping trees well pruned.
You must bear in mind that when trees grow too large and dense they start to block sunlight from reaching the grass below. As any home gardening expert would tell you the grass in your lawn needs sunlight to grow and achieve its full natural color.
When this source of food for your grass is restricted grass starts to thin and your lawn becomes patchy. Lawn overseeding will help, but pruning lower branches or thinning trees will ensure adequate sunlight on your grass which will promote their growth.
Improves your view
There are instances when a tree may come in the way of your much-desired view of the rest of your property or out over the ocean.
It doesn’t take an expert to identify the offending branches, but a seasoned arborist is your best bet to make sure the prune is done in such a way that it actually looks better after the prune. The last you want is that hacked-at look.
That will more than likely ruin your view rather than enhance it.
Encourages better fruit production
If you are dealing with a fruit-bearing tree, tree pruning at the right time each year encourages fruit growth.
When you remove branches from the tree you actually free up excess energy the tree would have otherwise used to service those branches. This leaves extra energy to put towards producing fruit.
There are different techniques for pruning different fruit trees. There are also better times of the year for different species so be sure to consult an arborist first if you are not sure.
Deals with stability issues
They say trees are a little like an iceberg, what you see above the ground is just, well… the tip of the iceberg!
When you remove branches you not only promote new growth above ground, but you also encourage new root growth too. This has a snowball effect as the more roots you have the better the tree can support itself for new growth.
Having a deeper-rooted tree is also a massive bonus as it further stabilizes the tree so it is less likely to come over in a strong wind.
Prevents common disease and fungi
Trees much like humans can contract diseases very easily and pruning is the most effective way of keeping your trees in top health to naturally fight against them.
A branch or certain portion of the tree may have contracted fungi and when left unattended it can affect the whole tree and lead it to rot. In other cases, an infected tree can pose a threat to other healthy trees in your yard. Sometimes these can be passed through the root system like in the case where hundreds of Sydney’s grand old Figs in Hyde Park were removed because of a disease.
By removing an infected portion of the tree the outbreak of a major problem can be prevented. A consulting arborist has the expertise in identifying the symptoms of the disease in trees and assessing the potential damage it can cause to the tree or other trees in your yard.
Based on this assessment they would undertake the exercise of removing a dead or infected branch. In some extreme cases, this could include the removal of the whole tree if it is beyond treatment.
