If you own property, there's probably a little bit of Do It Yourself inside of you, wondering about how much tree care you can do to save yourself money and enrich yourself with new skills and accomplishments... And yes, there is quite a lot of tree care that you can do yourself.
First we must establish the boundary about what you may not do. And please, take it from the professional who sees the mistakes and the accidents of homeowners.
You can do it yourself if:
• You can reach it from the ground –NO LADDERS!!! Too many accidents result from attempts to prune trees from ladders. Please don’t join this club.
• You know the basics of making proper pruning cuts or are willing to learn.
• You have prior experience with pruning tools.
• You are not a complete idiot –you know who we are talking about (and if this is your husband, hide the tools and don’t let him out of the house this Sunday).
Dogwood before and after a light thinning. Note how natural the tree still looks...as if nothing had been done at all. The lower branches have been removed (less scarring to tree and person during mowing), and select branches have been removed to minimize over extended weight and to create a pleasing shape.
Don’t sign your tree up for experimentation. Incorrect pruning can mortally wound the tree or in the least, take several years to overcome.
You will want to hire a tree service if: • If the tree is tall or large enough to require a ladder • If there is property under the tree that may become damaged. • You are spending too much time on the internet trying to figure out if you can do it yourself! • You need a chainsaw and you've forgotten how to use it. • You sense privately that you are NOT confident--it's okay, you are great at something else!
