Dormant Pruning? 5 Reasons We Do It

Pezza Landscape is a full-service landscaping company, meaning we provide vastly more to our clients than just the typical mowing and maintenance of others. Included in our services, and due to our trained staff, we are able to offer tree and shrub pruning, in an effort to maintain the long-term health of your green material. Keeping these pieces of larger plant material healthy is extremely important, as they provide the structure of your property, and easily catch the eye. Additionally, as they grow to maturity, they increase your property value and provide much-needed privacy. In an effort to maintain health, pruning is a must, but there are many misconceptions about the service, as different weather in different places means different best practices. We wanted to clear the air and discuss exactly why we prioritize pruning during dormancy. Here are five reasons why we love dormant pruning, and why you should consider what it could do for your landscape.

Dormant Pruning: More Aggressive

As a general rule of thumb, the biggest benefit to dormant pruning is the ability to be more aggressive in the removal of unnecessary foliage, as stress is reduced. There is no active growth happening, so when larger cuts are made, spring growth is even stronger to compensate. As you can imagine, this allows for you to reshape plant material the way you see fit, whereas pruning efforts during growth periods must be more conservative and careful.

Property Excitement through a time of Boredom

Moving to a strictly aesthetic benefit, dormant pruning cleans up your property during the time when nothing is happening in your landscape. Trees and shrubs that once looked unkempt, you no longer have to wait on to look good. The aggressive pruning will give off a sharp look, and there will be an obvious difference. Well-structured plants can be beautiful, acting like abstract pieces of art. More than just functionality and plant health, dormant pruning adds a layer of beauty to your property it wouldn’t have otherwise.

Dormant Pests, Dormant Disease

It is no secret that when your plants are pruned, they are at their weakest point. However, when you prune during dormancy, the pests and diseases that would normally be around to attack your plant material, are also dormant. Insects as well are generally dormant and will stay away from your plants, more concerned with keeping warm.

Convenient Off-Season Timing

Rather than trying to squeeze in any intensive pruning during the growing season, when you are already dealing with the rest of your active landscape, you can save pruning for the slowest part of the year. More availability from your landscape provider, as well as the time to take great care and attention to detail. Anytime from late November to early March is a good time to engage in dormant pruning, so keep that in mind as we trundle through that exact time period.

Intense Spring Growth

Likely the most important reason we like to provide dormant pruning services is the guarantee of strong, healthy growth when spring rolls around. When removing death and decay over the fall and winter, your plant material will have the time to gather nutrients and prepare for a crazy season of new growth. This also means that when you engage in this more aggressive pruning style, removing up to ⅓ of foliage, you are allowed more creative freedom in the structure of the tree or shrub. Not only will this growth be new and healthy, but it will be exactly where you expect it.

Pezza Landscape, Inc. is a full-service landscaping company proudly serving the Chicagoland area and its surrounding suburbs. Give us a call at (630) 393-7373 or visit our website to get in touch.