Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia

Pruning

Pruning and Mulching

February is just around the corner, and soon after the trees and shrubs will start to bud. It may be cold, but February is one of the best months to prune many kinds of trees and shrubs. There are no leaves to mess with, and the dormant plants will heal themselves quickly when the spring growing season starts. Mark your calendars now!

Free mulch is available during daylight hours at Pine Ridge Park, 3401 Woodburn Road. If you can pick it up and carry it home, you can have all the double shredded wood and leaf mulch that you want! Call 703-324-5995 for more information.

Save your empty mulch bags and use them to throw out hedge trimmings and other yard debris!

Timing of Pruning Is Important

By National Arborist Association, October 1998

Pruning is an art based on scientific principles of plant physiology. Arborists have the capability to make the tree look more attractive as they prune. The idea of pruning live growth is to restrict growth in one area and encourage in the other area, as well as remove the damaged or dead limbs. Pruning encourages growth, improves flower and fruit production, improves plant health, repairs damage and helps add aesthetic appeal to a tree. Pruning at the right time can be very critical as it is possible that you can kill the tree by not doing so.

According to Robert Rouse, staff arborist for the national Arborist Association, "Timing of pruning is very important to the health of your tree. Pruning some trees at the wrong time of the year can be detrimental to their health. On the other hand, many trees can be pruned year-round.

Certain operations, such as deadwood removal, have no detrimental effect on the health of the tree no matter when they are carried out. This is so because the wood is already dead and has been walled-off from the rest of the tree by the plant's defense mechanisms."

Late fall to early winter is generally an ideal time to prune most trees. Rouse suggests that you should consult a local arborist to find out the proper time to prune your trees. Also remember that "Topping" and "Lion's Tailing" should never be performed on your trees.