When Should Heavy Pruning Be Done?

As mentioned last month in Part 1 of Heavy Pruning, heavy pruning is most effective if done once per year. Peer Landscaping of Fort Myers recommends pruning in the summer, when rains are more likely, between the months of May and August. The increased rains allow faster recovery for your trees and shrubs, and a quicker production of new growth. You may still want to trim certain trees and shrubs; this can happen at any time of the year in Southwest Florida, thanks to the climate that stays warm almost year-round. If you’re one of the thousands of snowbirds in Southwest Florida, we recommend having Peer Landscaping perform a hard pruning before departing for elsewhere for the season. Not all plants are created equal. Each variety and species of plant has its own rate of growth, which can be placed into one of three categories: slow, moderate, and fast. Any type of plant requires pruning at some point. The more quickly it grows, naturally, the more often it needs to be pruned. Our expert landscapers at Peer Landscaping will know when your plants need to be pruned and how often. They’ll also know that certain plants should be pruned lightly, instead—such as thyrallis and liriope. Only a landscaper who is educated on all the species of plant in Southwest Florida will have the information to identify these plants and maintain them the right way. New growth: The climate of Southwest Florida—with its high heat and humidity, combined with sea-salt air—can be hard on plant life. Heavy pruning can help by promoting new growth in your plants. When this new growth comes in, it will look more lush and full, the catalyst in a rejuvenation process that will continue throughout the entire year—until it’s time for another round of heavy pruning. Once pruning is complete, new, strong, healthy branches will grow while nutrients are distributed equally throughout the entire structure of your tree or shrub Safety: An overgrown plant can obstruct sidewalks and driveways. This could create a tripping hazard or make it more perilous to pull out of your driveway if your shrubs and trees are so overgrown that they’re obscuring your view of the road. Branches that are overgrown could fall on your roof, your vehicle, or even a power line. Whenever we are creating a new landscape design, we are careful about the future size of anything we are installing. But we are aware that many people add plants and trees to their landscape on their own. If you are planting new trees, research their full height and width at maturity before planting them under power lines to mitigate possible hazards. Hurricane season will be here before we know it, and for homeowners and business owners like you in Southwest Florida, hiring us to heavy prune your trees and shrubs prior to the season can limit your risk of property damage. Heavy pruning eliminates weak and dead limbs and branches, or overgrown canopies that can wreak havoc in the high winds and heavy rains of a tropical storm or hurricane. Pests: An infestation can be a nuisance or threaten to kill your plants. Insects and pests also can spread from one plant to others, jeopardizing all your trees and shrubs. Even if your plants survive, their integrity and strength can be compromised, increasing the risk of falling branches. Regular heavy pruning, to remove any weak or dead branches, also eliminates potential safe harbors for insects and pests to infest your plants. Aesthetics: Heavy pruning helps to maintain the outdoor view of your home, both from inside and to those in your neighborhood. This is especially true if your home is adjacent to the beach, canals, or any other kind of naturally beautiful vistas. Overgrown trees could block that view, and with it, hinder the curb appeal of your home. Health: Sunlight is the biggest key to having healthy, flourishing trees and shrubs. An overly thick canopy of branches can make it difficult or even impossible for the sun to reach every part of the tree, thereby hindering its growth. Heavy pruning thins these canopies, allowing full sunlight exposure for the rest of your plants.