Some seasons are more appropriate for different types of yard treatments. Spring and summer have their advantages for some work, as the flora and fauna are in full bloom.
Many gardeners and homeowners use the winter for trimming their trees. Why might they have this preference? Here are three reasons.
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The trees are dormant in the winter
The trees are asleep in the snowy frost. Our deciduous trees are all reclining nude as they rest. Without the leaves on the trees, we can see their structure and branch architecture much more clearly. We can see which branches have died, which branches are growing too close to the ground, and which are growing too robustly and need to be pruned back. When the trees are naked, they are easier to sculpt.
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The pests are dormant in the winter, too
Whenever we make cuts to limbs and branches, we leave little cuts and scabs and open sores on the trees. These should all recover just fine. However, when the cuts are fresh, it offers an opportunity for bugs, pests, and infections to enter the tree’s circulatory system – just as happens with humans when we scrape our knees or have open cuts on our hands.
During the winter, all of those insects and many of those fungi are asleep as well, so they are not available to slip into those open sores where the branches have been cut. The chances of damage based on bacteria, bugs, or microbes are all reduced in the winter months.
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You have the time
Other gardening concerns are on hold during the winter, so we all have time to pay attention to the trees and their trimming needs.
