When it comes to maintaining yards, gardens or orchards, pruning always pops up in our minds. Though done when required, the timing of the practice usually matters a lot. Some have opted to prune as early as spring after snow has cleared while other have waited for mid-fall. Regardless of the window you might take chance of, it will solely depend on the type of plant, be it a tree or a shrub, and whether they blossom in spring or summer.

Nonetheless,pruning is importantbecause of obvious reasons like it enables rejuvenation of plants and aids in weeding out affected, unwanted and unproductive parts, thus increasing the potentiality of the plant.

With that in mind, occasional yard clean-up, care and maintenance is crucial but what is the best time to prune trees and shrubs in Calgary? Fear not as we will reasonably discuss the times to do this at home.

Best times to prune in Calgary

In Calgary, plants behave differently in seasons with the exception of evergreens. There are those that are active during spring and become dormant when winter comes. The ideal time to prune those trees would then be within that period of dormancy. Why? Because the plant, as the name suggest, is dormant; shutting down for ‘renovation’.

After the leaves have all fallen and signs of hibernation are existent, sharpen your tools and cut what is not needed. This period is advantageous because the plants experience no stress and there is minimal chance for them to get infection or fungus after mid-October.

In the case of pruning your shrubs and trees during mid-spring, you will also be able to notice branches with buds and those that don’t have. Thus, it will be easy to select the unproductive parts and do away with them. If you have ornamental grasses as part of your landscaping it is best to leave the growth on over winter time.  These grasses are as attractive in winter as they are in spring.  Learn about pruning Karl forester feather reed grass

Check out this page If you are interested in learning more about specific ornamental grasses ideal for Canadian climates

For evergreen shrubs and treesof course, they can be pruned anytime of the year. They usually require little to no pruning. For flowering shrubs, try pruning them during early spring and avoid pruning them when winter approaches, around late September. This way, you will avoid making them vulnerable to winter frost conditions as their wounds wouldn’t have recuperated or hardened by then.

In Calgary, mid-fall has been the perfect time to trim perennial trees such as birch and maple simply because they reproduce during winter, among other reasons. But other trees like spruce, junipers, crabapple and popular are well suited for pruning during winter. So why should you clip and trim your trees and shrubs during mid-fall towards winter?

  • Fungal diseases, infections and pests are usually dormant making it easy for their eradication.
  • The plant will face no stress and sap loss will be curbed.
  • At this point, plants are not budding so no new life will be lost when trimming
  • The structure of the plant is visible enough after leaves have fallen thus making it easy to identify what can be cut off and what can’t.
  • When pruning at this period, few branches will be left, enabling the roots to reserve more food and energy for new growth and life in the coming season.

Remember it is important to take care of your trees and shrubs 

by giving them fertilizer and watering.  Fall watering is very important and can make all the difference in the health of your trees and shrubs come spring time,

If you look forward to trimming down overgrown shrubs and trees that might be costly in the event of storms in Calgary, or just want to increase the aesthetics of your yard with well-shaped and well-kept hedges, shrubs and trees, sharpen your tools and start pruning your plants at the right time. When difficulty arises, as it always does especially where powerlines are near the home area, consults your landscaping Calgary specialistsi.