Some trees require yearly pruning to keep them healthy and attractive, while others respond to trimming by producing more fruit the following season. Sometimes you may want to trim a tree to make sure its branches don’t impede access under or around them and sometimes you might need to trim diseased or broken branches. For whatever reason you trim a tree, late fall is one of the best times to undertake a tree trimming project.

Evaluate the size of your tree-trimming job based on the size of the tree you want to trim. If you have experience pruning large trees and using power tools such as chain saws, you might choose to do the job yourself. However, if you are inexperienced or if your tree is very large, you might be wise to hire a professional tree service like JT Tree Service, “Hire a professional for jobs you can’t handle—it’s really not worth getting seriously hurt, or damaging expensive property, just to save money.”  JT Tree Service provides service in Fishers, Carmel, Geist and Noblesville.

If you are going to attempt this on your own, consider the following:  Wait for deciduous trees to fully lose their leaves in fall—trimming trees during their dormant season is the best time to perform this “surgery.” Then start your pruning activity by cutting off branches that are misshapen or that appeared dead before the tree lost its leaves.

Cut off branches that bump into each other. The University of Minnesota Extension advises people who are interested in trimming their trees to “remove branches and branch stubs that rub together.” Every time you trim off a branch, cut close to the tree’s trunk, but don’t cut into the trunk. According to The University of Minnesota Extension, leave the branch’s “collar,” which is a bulbous or raised area where the branch connects to the trunk. They add, “The branch collar grows from the stem tissue around the base of the branch. Make pruning cuts so that only branch tissue (wood on the branch side of the collar) is removed. Be careful to prune just beyond the branch collar, but DON’T leave a stub. If the branch collar is left intact after pruning, the wound will seal more effectively and stem tissue probably will not decay.”

Trim large branches by making one cut half way through the branch from the bottom and a second cut that meets the first cut from the top of the branch. Using this method, the cuts will allow the branch to fall off cleanly and will avoid injuring the trunk. The University of Minnesota explains further: “Three or four cuts will be necessary to avoid tearing the bark. Make the first cut on the underside of the branch about 18 inches from the trunk. Undercut one-third to one-half way through the branch. Make the second cut an inch further out on the branch; cut until the branch breaks free.”  If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, hire the professionals at JT Tree Service in Fishers, Carmel, Geist and Noblesville.

Keep trees trimmed back from windows and doors of your home to eliminate hiding places for burglars.  Also, prune branches that obscure vision at the end of your driveway and intersections if applicable.

Dispose of your trimmed tree parts appropriately. If you have a chipper/shredder, many types of trees make good mulch or an addition to your compost pile.  JT Tree Service takes all their tree debris in Fishers, Carmel, Geist and Noblesville to recycling centers to be recycled and used as mulch.

If your looking for a tree professional in the Fishers, Carmel, Geist or Noblesville area, call JT Tree Service at 317-674-2150.