Fall is for far more than pumpkins and corn mazes, it’s for pruning too.

So now that the leaves are falling and our gardens are entering a rest time, it's a great time to prun and shape your trees to help maintain their form and encourages healthy growth in the coming seasons. Trimming any of your plants helps to highlight their natural beauty and ensure they complement your landscape. Choosing to selectively cutting back certain branches, can enhance balanced and maintain an aesthetically pleasing silhouette to your outdoor environs.

Thinning out overcrowded branches is essential for maintaining health and vitality of trees. Overcrowding can lead to reduced airflow and sunlight penetration. This can stunt growth and increase the risk of disease. By removal of excess branches, pruning ensures each remaining branch has adequate space to freely and robustly thrive. The result is improved plant structure and increased resilience against pests and harsh weather.

Pruning also redirects the plant’s energy to the healthiest branches. A more balanced and sturdy framework will support the weight of leaves and fruit. When trimming, cut back to a lateral branch to promote natural growth patterns. By preventing overcrowding, you encourage stronger stock to support growth and beauty for years to come.

Pruning trees in the fall can help protect them from winter damage. Heavy, unpruned branches are more susceptible to breaking under the weight of snow, and more commonely in our area - ice, which can cause significant harm to the plant’s structure. You will want to have overly long or heavy branches either trimmed back or cut off completely. Being proactive helps make your trees easier to manage not only during the colder months but in seasons to come as well.

After your fall pruning, applying mulch around your trees provides numerous benefits.

Insulating layer, protecting the roots from temperature fluctuations, mulch also helps retain soil moisture. Don't be shy! Spread a generous layer, like shredded bark or compost. Besides conserving moisture it adds vital nutrients to the soil as it decomposes. One note is to make sure your mulch is not piled up on the tree trunk. Make a circle around the trunk so the mulch is kept away. This important step will help keep bugs out of your trunk as well as unwanted rot.

Another added value is mulch helps suppress weeds which reduces competition for nutrients and water; improving soil structure, promoting beneficial microbes, creating a fertile environ for root health as well. By adding mulch into your fall pruning routine, you will reap a harvest of benefits come spring.