The weather is cold, and you just want to keep cosy under a blanket, but think of your poor trees outside. They’re all alone in the cold weather, shivering their leaves off!

Don’t worry, it’s not really that dramatic, but trees are actually affected by the seasons, and there are a number of reasons why you should trim them in the cold months.

Over the winter months, most of your plants and trees enter a dormant period, where they conserve their energy and resources in order to survive the cold months. The leaves on deciduous trees fall off, and bark works to protect the interior flesh from the elements. Getting a bit of trimming done over winter sets your plants up for a healthy dormancy period and an even healthier growth period in spring. Read on to find out why that is.

1. Encourages growth

A great reason to trim your tree is to encourage new growth during the warmer seasons like spring. When the tree is in its dormant stage, it is a great time to cut off any struggling or unwanted branches to allow new branches to grow in spring.

2. Causes less stress

When you remove a branch from a tree, the tree will have to begin its healing process, which can cause a lot of stress if it’s trimmed in the wrong month. Pathogens and diseases can more easily enter a tree if a branch has been broken off in a warmer season. By trimming your tree in winter, you’re not damaging it and wasting its resources trying to heal it in a season that it should be growing.

3. Helps fight diseases

As mentioned before, pathogens and diseases can get into a tree’s system and cause damage and spread to other plants in your garden. If there is an affected area of a tree, with an infection like fungal mildew, the best course of action is to cut the affected branch off in winter. This is basically amputation for a tree. Hopefully, if you have acted in time, the infection will have been eradicated.

4. Removes safety hazards

Trees can be a major safety hazard, especially in winter. If there are any dying or dead branches, these are likely to drop off. The tree is self-trimming if no one is around to do it for them.

Falling branches are not only damaging to your property, or neighbours’, they are also a safety risk. There is always a chance that a branch will fall just as someone is walking under the tree. If you see any branches that look dead or are hanging on just by a strand, make sure to remove them.

5. Shaping a tree

If you want your tree to have a certain shape, then trimming it during winter is perfect. Your trimming is encouraging the tree to grow the way you want, all whilst not causing it too much stress compared to the warmer months.

There are a few ways professionals’ trim trees, such as pollarding. Pollarding is a method to keep the tree short and full, by trimming off the top branches to encourage the tree to grow denser and shorter.

6. For the looks

Whilst trimming a tree during winter is beneficial for the tree, it is also great for making it look better for our viewing pleasure. There isn’t anything wrong with wanting your trees to look full of life, dense and beautiful. It’s your garden, and they’re your trees. Shape them how you want, and if you keep up a trimming schedule for each winter, they’ll look great every spring and summer.

7. More efficient to trim during winter

A very good reason to trim during winter is that it’s more efficient. Chances are the rest of your garden is also in a dormancy period, so this is the perfect time to hunt around the garden and get to trimming. Your plants will be hardier and stronger during winter, so if you are dropping branches everywhere as you trim, you’re not going to cause as much damage as you would during spring or summer. So when it’s chilly, get pruning.

Keep in mind

Before you get out there and start trimming, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

  • Some deadwood can be hard to spot during winter, usually, they’ll have a loss of colour, or even look darker. It really depends on the tree, and if you’re unsure, get a professional to check it out. Arborists and tree trimmers will know what deadwood looks like, even during the winter periods. So, if you’re unsure and don’t want to damage the tree too much, hire a professional.
  • Not all trees need to be pruned in early winter but some trees are better right before spring. Most deciduous trees, roses and fruit trees are fine to prune in early winter. Whereas, a lot of native Australian trees should actually be pruned right before spring.
  • Pruning trees can be dangerous if you’re unsure of what you’re doing and don’t have the right equipment. Whilst we encourage you to do your own trimming and gardening, if something looks too challenging, get a professional to do it.

Get your own pruning equipment

Now you know why pruning in winter is so great for your trees and garden! Get your pruning shears and tree trimmers and get to work! Speaking of pruning equipment, make sure you have all the right stuff. Landscaping equipment suppliers have a range of tools like skid steers, skid trenchers and lot more that will ensure you’re able to get the job done right.