When to Trim Your Trees

Trees go to sleep in the winter and slow down their systems. This makes winter a good time to trim trees without damaging them. It is usually best to trim after the coldest part of the winter before it has really started to warm.

Light trimming and shaping can be done during the summer months as long as you do not do major cutting. It is often easier to see the shape you are getting when leaves are on the limbs and they are hanging naturally with the added weight. With some of the larger landscaped lots in Woodinville, tree trimming can really help create a strong harmonious feel to the property.

Fall is a bad time to trim your tree. The tree is slowing down and is less capable of staving off infection at the same time you are wounding it. It is also the time when major fungi spores are present and capable of infecting the tree. Keep your trees healthy by avoiding fall trimming.

When you do cut a limb make sure you cut part way into the limb from below and go about 1/3 of the way through the limb. Then cut further out from the top side. When the limb starts to fall it will tear away and stop tearing at the lower cut. This will protect the tree trunk from being damaged.

Never cut more than 25% of the crown of the tree in order to keep it healthy.