Frequently Asked Questions
Q. When should I prune my trees?
There’s a reason every day of the year to prune your trees. That being said; most fruit trees and evergreens are done From December-March. Summer Pruning is done after flowering and fruit set if applicable. Fall Pruning likes a few weeks' berth before a hard frost. Deadwood pruning and removals can be done anytime. Your Elms, Cottonwoods, Locusts, Boxeleders and other deciduuse trees can be pruned thorughout the year with mind to purpose. A conversation will guide you to what times of year best suit your needs.
Q. Why should I prune my trees?
There’s a multitude of reasons. Most common in an urban environment is preventative maintenance or when there’s a hazard threatening persons, structures or right of ways. Pruning is most basically leveraging hormonal responses to stress for a specific purpose. We can prune trees to shrink them or to make them grow more vigorously. We can prune to slow the spread of disease or sometimes, unfortunately, pruning can introduce disease. We prune to shape our trees, to train them and for the pleasure of spending time with them.
Q. Should I top my trees?
We may top trees when the canopy has become a hazard to the space it sits above or to what it sits below. We may cut trees to a stump to start a new tree. We may use topping as a unique approach to ornamental trees.
The important takeaway is that it is a tool and can be useful and beautiful when we apply it intentionally and have a plan to address the response growth for the indefinite future.
Q. Should I cut down my Siberian Elms?
With respect to how eager Ulmus Pumila is to grow here she’s more of the messenger than the culprit. The environment we live in, and have played a role in creating, now favors this tree over others. So it’s not about eradicating the ones that are here, it’s about curating an environment for what you would like to see. This is work done for the sake of our future generations- and less about having something new or different right now.
If you have some relatively large Siberian Elms on your property treat them like the high value shade trees they are. It’s very difficult to establish new trees and the one you have, with a little attention, may be perfect.
Removals are a part of curating our ecosystem. So There’s certainly times when it does make sense. It’s wise to have a specific purpose to why, have a plan for what to establish in it’s place and be informed on the amount of work it will require. Please be proactive in engaging these considerations.
Have a Q that’s not on our FAQ?
Great! Shoot an email and you will recieve an answer. If you think it should be on this FAQ, please say so. This is for the benifit of answer seekers- so please let us know, what you would like to know. Happy Sleuthing!