When the Best Time to Prune? Our Pros in Lawn Care in Great Falls VA Have the Answer
We have asked our experts in lawn care in Great Falls VA about the best time to start pruning trees and shrubs, and the answer was a full consensus: in spring. Despite the common belief that pruning is best done in fall in between all that raking and mulching, for your plants’ well-being and long-term health, we recommend letting them rest until spring.
Our Lawn Care Great Falls VA experts Explain Why Fall Is Not the Best Time to Start Pruning
Pruning should not be removed from your annual to-do list for your lawn or garden. If you want healthy and vigorous shrubs and trees, pruning is the missing piece of the great lawn-maintenance puzzle, and timing is of the essence.
Pruning in fall is one of the worst times to do it because plants are getting ready for the winter slumber. When you prune a plant, you encourage it to grow more, but when the plant is about to go dormant, hacking at it will only damage and make it weaker.
Our pros in lawn care in Great Falls VA also warn that most homeowners tend to prune more than it is absolutely necessary. For instance, most plants won’t miss a yearly pruning session if you happen to skip it that year. The only plants that require annual pruning are fruit trees.
What’s more, in spring, you should wait for the plants to finish flowering before you start pruning. Also, don’t prune on damp days, as too much humidity can only encourage fungi and bacteria thrive on the freshly pruned stems. Wait for the weather to get warm enough so that all the mold and bacteria are killed before they can infest the plants when they are the most vulnerable; or even better, you can call our lawn service professionals to get the job done for you. They know best the perfect time to prune your plants depending on their bloom times, health, and overall condition.
For instance, spring-flowering shrubs that haven’t received a haircut in a while will require extensive pruning to get back in shape. The best time to prune these types of plants is in late March or early April after flowering.
By contrast, shrubs that don’t yield ornamental flowers can be safely pruned in early spring or late winter. In the case of woody plants, pruning is best done in winter as their leaves are no longer in the way and you can see clearly what should be hacked.
Don’t Hesitate to Ask Our Experts for Help
If you’re on the fence about how much pruning should be done on your lawn and when it should be done for each plant species, you can contact our lawn care experts at Green Hill Landscaping. With years of lawn and landscaping maintenance, design and install under their belt, they know best what your garden and lawn needs. But before we get down to business, you can request a Free Estimate of the lawn maintenance service of your choice or simply Contact Us (it only takes 3 minutes). Your lawn will thank you later.
