All parts of your Wilmington, NC require ongoing care. As a homeowner, you need to know how to ensure that your home’s trees can thrive all year long. Knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what you should do. That’s why it is important to understand there are many reasons why you should avoid pruning your trees during the fall.

Not Enough Time

One of the main reasons that homeowners in Wilmington, NC choose to prune their trees is to encourage lots of new growth. However, new growth at the wrong time can actually impede growth and harm your trees. That’s because pruning at this time of the year may not allow enough time for the tree to grow properly. If you trim and prune your trees, it must be done correctly and during the right season. Consult with our arborists to learn precisely when you should prune your trees and under what circumstances.

Open Wounds

Pruning a tree means creating what is essentially an open wound on the tree. That can be a highly beneficial process that allows the tree to rid itself of material that isn’t growing well. However, pruning a tree also means the tree needs the right kind of conditions to heal. When you prune trees during the fall, they might not have enough time to heal before needing to cope with the coming cold weather.

Unclear Which Branches to Prune

Figuring out which branches should be pruned can be hard to determine. That’s a task our tree care experts know how to do well. Many Wilmington tree species have abundant leaves that appear during the fall. This can make harder to discern which branches are flourishing and which tree branches are struggling to survive. It’s also easier to see the entire tree and the tree canopy in the spring once all of your trees have gone through winter.

Tree Fungus

Many tree species are susceptible to problems such as funguses. These can get into the base of the tree and eat away at it. Pruning and trimming trees can leave them open to such infections. As your tree goes into the dormant winter period, you need to make sure it has all it needs in order to resist the stress of the colder weather. If you prune it too early, this can leave it vulnerable to infection and other issues. Pruning all of your trees at another time is the best solution.

Keeping your trees in good health is vitally important. If you need help with your Wilmington, NC property, now is the ideal time to get in touch with our arborists at A+ Tree & Landscaping.