You should prune your trees for a variety of reasons: to remove dead, broken, or diseased branches, and to remove undesirable branches that are too long or too low. Pruning your trees at the wrong time can lead to sick trees and even more dead branches, but you may be asking, “when should I prune my trees?” For all trees, you should prune branches when the weather is dry and rain is not in the forecast for a few days. Pruning in moist weather can cause disease in the tree. Also, avoid pruning in overly hot weather. 70-degrees is ideal.

Choosing the right time of year to prune depends on the type of trees:

Spring Flowering Trees

Prune trees that flower before June 1^st immediately after flowering. If you prune later into the summer it could hurt the following season’s bloom.

Summer Flowering Trees

Trees that bloom after June 1^st can be pruned any time, but avoid pruning in the heat of summer when bugs are active. You may also trim these trees after each bloom to promote flowering next season.

Evergreens

Allow evergreens to grow freely in late spring and early summer. Then in late summer you can trim back 50-90% of new growth. Be careful not too cut into older wood. Prune evergreens every year to promote more compact growth, allowing some new growth to remain each year. Do not prune evergreens in late summer or early fall because new growth will be prone to winter damage.

“Sappy” Trees

Trees such as maple, birch, and dogwood should be pruned in late summer or early fall. Pruning them in the spring will not hurt the trees, but there will be a very heavy sap flow at that time.

Deciduous Trees

You can prune these trees in the spring or summer (depending when they bloom) but you can also prune deciduous trees in the winter. With the leaves off, you can easily check for damaged branches.

Additional Help

Consult a professional landscaper if you are unsure of the types of trees in your yard. Use TalkLocal anytime to find reliable landscaping professionals in your area. Just type in what, where, and when you need help and TalkLocal will connect you with up to three local professionals in minutes!

All lawns need three critical things to survive and thrive: food, water, and the protection from unwanted guests, pests, natural forces, etc.

If you are looking to revive your dying lawn, or if you are looking to make your grass greener, thicker, and more beautiful, here are some tips to finding the best lawn fertilizers available.

Choosing the Best Lawn Fertilizers

Three elements that are very important to the survival of grass are nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. These natural elements give your grass the nutrients it needs to stay healthy, and common fertilizers contain a variety of amounts of these particular ingredients.

– Nitrogen is the most important, as it helps give grass its bright green color and thickness.

– Potassium, not only important to humans, is important to grass as well. It is useful in toughening grass roots and making it durable enough to resist unwanted forces like drought and cold weather.

– Phosphorus is another critical team player, aiding in the development of the roots under the surface.

All fertilizers found at your local home garden center or nursery will contain these three elements. However, the variety among choices regards the percentage of each element that is blended into the fertilizer. For example, when looking at different fertilizer brands or blends, you will see a code-like number, such as 15-8-8. These numbers represent the percentage of each element, in this order: nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium. In this case, the particular fertilizer bag labeled 15-8-8 will contain a 15% nitrogen-8% phosphorus-8% potassium mixture.

These blends will differ based on needs and preferences. In order to choose the best fertilizer, you should take note of your grass needs, grass type, time of year, soil type, and climate. For example, if you want to prepare your lawn for winter, you might want a blend with higher concentrations of potassium.

Making your decision more complex is choosing the best fertilizer type: either granular (slow vs fast release), organic, liquid or synthetic. In addition, you will find variety in different fertilizing methods and tips for application. You can choose based on specific preferences and/or needs, with each having their own benefits and disadvantages. By talking with your local home garden center or a professional landscaper, they should be able to assist you in choosing the right fertilizer.

Additional Help

If you are still not sure which lawn fertilizer is best for you, or if you would like some professional help in fertilizing your lawn, try using TalkLocal to locate a landscaping company near you. TalkLocal is a free service that will connect you with top-quality, reputable landscaping professionals in your neighborhood, within minutes. Just enter in your problem, location and availability and TalkLocal will contact multiple companies, who will then call YOU directly, ready to help.