Pruning Evergreen Trees

Properly cared for evergreen trees can provide a wonderful hint of green during the cold, white, and dreary winter months. That is, if you are taking care of the trees the way they should be. One of the best ways to ensure that you are doing this is by pruning evergreen trees the way that they are supposed to be. It really isn't that hard of a task, at least it isn't if you follow these simple steps.

1. Choose the right time. As is the case when you prune most types of trees, pruning evergreen trees requires that you choose the right time. For most, if not all, kinds of evergreen trees this means that you will be doing the pruning either in the extreme late spring, or early summer time. Evergreens are a particularly hardy type of tree, and can withstand the trauma that pruning causes to trees a little better than their deciduous cousins.
2. Look out for problem branches. Besides the typical "training" type of pruning that is done to shape an evergreen tree the way you would like it, there are a few things that you will need to look out for. What this means is that you will want to keep an eye out for any branches that are broken, diseased, dead, or show problems in some other manner.
3. Thin out narrow leaf evergreens. Narrow leaf evergreen trees will typically need to be thinned out every year. The easiest way to do this is to is by removing no more than half of the new growth that has shown up over the past year. When you cut this growth all you need to do is cut the new branches as close to the trunk as possible.
4. Broad leaf evergreens need special treatment. This type of evergreen trees and plants require a bit different treatment than other kinds of evergreens. In this particular case you need to remove the flowers that have faded as promptly as possible. This will help promote growth to the rest of the plant by diverting the nutrients where they will do the most good.
5. Use the right tools. When you begin pruning, you need to make sure that you have the right tools. Generally speaking, there are only three tools that you will need, though there are several others that you can use to help make the task as easy as possible. The four tools that you need are things like hand pruners, long handled loppers, and hand pruning saws. Make sure that you have these tools, and that they are all in good working condition before you start using them.
6. Keep a sharp eye out. Once you have completed the annual pruning, you need to realize that you are still not finished. Keep an eye out throughout the rest of the year to ensure that you are aware of any problems that crop up as soon as they first show. This will allow you to keep your pruning to as limited of an amount as possible, and thus keep the trauma the tree experiences to a bare minimum.

As you can see, generally speaking, pruning evergreen trees is much like pruning other kinds of trees. For the most basic of care all you need to do is keep an eye out for any signs of ill health and treat accordingly. That being said, there are some differences when dealing with evergreen trees. The biggest is that evergreen trees will most often require attention every year, as opposed to other kinds of trees that need it more sporadically.