Winter is a great time for pruning your trees and shrubs, because insects are not out to transmit disease. You will not have guests outside so this time of year you can prune your plants severely. If you are a do it yourself landscaper get outside on a nice winter day and go for it!
Health
You want to take out any abnormal growths such as crown gall. Fertilizer is good for the health of the plant but this should be done during the growing season. Watch out or winter plant damage from snow, ice, and salt, for more information read our blog on Winter Plant Damage.
Maintenance
Keep trees limbed in a nice canopy. All of the “suckers” coming up from the ground should be cut off. Shrubs should be kept below windows so if you have to take a foot off that hedge growing up against your house, don’t worry it will have plenty of time to recover.
To Protect People
You want to make sure that your plants do not block the view of traffic in this can be a problem in medians in newly built subdivisions A nice small tree is planted without thinking ten years later in grows and now is blocking your view when driving. Watch out for these thaese things and if it’s problem prune them.
How to make a clean cut
By making three cuts you will take the weight off the limb before making the third cut so it will be nice and clean. When pruning in the winter you do not need dressing also known as the “black paint” they use to cover up the pruning cuts.