Tree Crowning: Is It A Good Idea Or A Mistake?
In the forest, trees are free to play the games by their own rules. They can spread their branches all they want, cover the whole sky, and send all the weak old branches to the ground.
However, the trees in your garden, backyard, and along the trees don’t have quite as much freedom – and for Good Reasons.
Of course, we want the trees of our neighborhood to grow as strong as the trees from the forest. But, at the same time, we don’t want them to be a nuisance for small trees, plants, and grasses.
…and that’s where Tree Crowning comes in!
While you may have heard the term, which has something to do with trimming and pruning the trees, it is more than that.
Today, we will talk about what tree crowning is and how it benefits you and the trees.
What Is Tree Crowning?
All trees have a crown. The crown defines what type of canopy the tree will form. Different tree species come with different crowns. Hence, tree crowns take their specific form depending on nature’s nature wants their crown to be.
However, with arborists and tree surgeons, you can define what a tree crown must look like. This is specially done in the city to maintain the tree’s health and ensure wild branches are not creating any nuisance for others.
Why Is Crowning Your Tree Important?
Crowning a tree comes under care and maintenance. It involves cutting, pruning, and removing specific parts of the tree to ensure tree health. While this process protects your wires from overgrown tree branches, it also protects the trees from diseased branches and rotten wood.
When done correctly, tree crowning has different benefits.
1. Tree Health
Overgrown trees negatively affect their health. Without the proper crowning, trees can become weak and less likely to survive.
Regular trimming the trees ensures trees are healthy with only healthy branches. If you can maintain this from the start, you can structure the trees and will have less work to do in the future.
2. Tree Appearance
Trees that are not regularly trimmed can outgrow and look messy and unbalanced. For example, branches may sprout unevenly, and the tree may look bed-tangled.
Tree crowning is like a much-needed haircut for the tree. Just like we have to enhance our outward appearance, tree crowning brings the best out of the trees.
In fact, if you have a property that is on sale, tree crowning is important. It can help you uplift the base price of the property.
3. Landscape Aesthetics
As we already said, groomed trees are important to boost property value, and neglecting tree crowning can damage the aesthetic of the landscape.
Densely packed tree branches can prevent sun rays, air, and rail from reaching the floor. This prevents the grass and smaller trees from getting the necessary nutrients to grow.
Regular crowning ensures that your tree is kept in check and that other small trees get enough rain and sunlight.
4. Property Safety
Property safety is another important reason why you need tree crowning. Trees with wild branches can damage the electricity wires. In addition, dead branches can pose property safety with diseases.
In heavy rain or wind, the weak limbs can fall easily and damage people around the property. The presence of hazardous branches on the tree is mostly why people prune and trim the trees.
How To Perform Tree Crowning
Before performing a crown lift, you must know what you want the tree to look like. In addition, you need the perfect tools to cut the tree clean.
Follow these steps to perform tree crowning.
Step 1: Assess The Tree
Before you start the crowing process, the first thing is to assess the tree and see which branches are getting out of the tree areas and need to be removed. Remember, you are trying to lift the crown, so lower branches need to be targeted.
The best way to know which branches need to be removed is to stand a few feet away from the tree and scan all the hanging branches or the branches that look messy and unbalanced.
Step 2: Remove The Bottom Branches
Once you have an idea, start with your tree crowning surgery. Start with removing the lower branches first. To get the best result, you must start with the underside of the branch.
If the branches are ready, first cut one-third of the branches and then the rest. This ensures the branches are falling because of their weight.
Step 3: Dispose Of The Branches
Once you are done with crowning, the branches you have cut can’ be left there to rot. You must use them as energy.
If not, cut them into small pieces and dispose of them. They can also become a good composting material for the garden. If you have the right means, you can certainly do so.
When Is The Best Time To Crown Trees?
There is never a bad time to remove dead, damaged, and diseased branches. However, it has been seen that most trees benefit from browning in mid to late winter. This is because pruning and crowning during the dormancy period encourage new growth after the end of the season.
Crowning trees during summer is not a great option. Professionals use summer to crown the tree because by removing the total leaves on the tree, you can reduce the number of nutrients sent to the roots and the overall growth of the tree.
Now that we have established the best time for pruning or crowning the trees. Let’s talk about whether crowning a tree is a good idea or a mistake.
Is Tree Crowning A Good Or A Mistake?
If you have overgrown trees in your garden or backyard, tree crowning is the perfect solution to keep your tree healthy.
In addition, it helps better air and sunlight penetration which is good for other small plants and grass. Want to know more about how you can help your trees remain healthy throughout the year? Reach out to us.