DIY pruning can lead to mistakes and result in a lot of issues for your plants in Nebraska. Common mistakes that are often the result of DIY plant pruning include pruning at the wrong time. This plant maintenance task involves cutting away problematic branches from your plants and should be done at a time when your trees or shrubs are growing actively so they can tolerate the process. Another common mistake often made is making improper cuts or making too many pruning cuts, which can result in poorer health. Using dull tools is also a mistake that you can make with DIY pruning and will lead to rough cuts on the branch where diseases and pests can develop.

Pruning Your Plants at the Wrong Time

Pruning dormant plant in Omaha, NE, in the winter.

One of the most common mistakes that you could commit with DIY plant pruning is doing the entire thing at the wrong time. Pruning focuses on plant health and entails removing weak and diseased branches on your trees and shrubs. Because you will be removing already vulnerable parts from your plant, you want to ensure it is done at the right time. Pruning should be done where your plant is at its strongest and can heal from the pruning cut, so you don't cause more harm than good to its health.

This means that there is no one-size-fits-all schedule for plant pruning. It should be done depending on the specific plant you want to prune. By pruning at the right time, not only will your plants withstand the process but they will also produce vibrant growth during their peak season!

Cutting too much and making improper pruning cuts are common mistakes.

Another mistake you could make when you prune your plants yourself is cutting too much. The process of pruning is detailed and targeted, meaning each cut is done with a purpose. When you make too many cuts on your plants, you risk making them more susceptible to diseases and other health issues. Removing branches from your plants means getting rid of the nutrients and other resources stored in them and hampering their ability to photosynthesize efficiently. When this happens, your plants will become weaker.

Aside from over-pruning, you could also make improper pruning cuts on your plants. There are specific pruning cuts that ensure a problematic branch is removed without affecting the rest of the plant and promote new, healthy growth. DIY pruning could easily lead to cutting a branch too close to the branch collar and causing a serious wound on the tree or cutting too little from a dead branch which could lead to decay.

Using dull tools when pruning your plants is a common pruning error.

When pruning your plants, you want to ensure you create nice, clean cuts on the branch to prevent opening more wounds on your tree. That's why it is important to use sharp tools when pruning! Using dull pruning shears increases the risk of making rough cuts on your plants, creating more opportunities for diseases and pests to thrive. By pruning with sharp tools, you can slice cleanly through the branch and your plants can easily heal from the cut.

Take the guesswork out of proper plant pruning by hiring professionals to handle the job!

Call us today to sign up for our trimming and pruning service!

Part of maintaining the health of your plants is ensuring there are no problematic branches dragging down their growth by pruning them. Here at UPL, we will carefully remove weak, diseased, or dead branches from your plants with our trimming and pruning service! For this service, pruning is done depending on your plant's needs and growth to ensure the job is done at the right time. We offer this service to commercial and residential properties, as well as HOAs, in Omaha, Elkhorn, Gretna, and nearby communities in Nebraska. Call our professionals today at (402) 590-2040 to sign up for our plant pruning service!