ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — 'Tis the season to start thinking about taking care of your trees before the first snowstorm hits the Denver metro area.
Denver7 met up with certified arborist Tony Hahn with DCPS and a member of the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado to talk about why it's important to prune your trees now.
Hahn said it's a good idea to prune now because the Denver metro area is prone to heavy, wet snows in late September and October. He said pruned trees sustain much less damage from snow.
While the trees still have leaves, it is easier to see and prune out dead wood. Large dead wood can be dangerous and a liability, Hahn explained.
Generally, this time of year is less stressful on trees. Hahn said there's usually less disease activity to worry about.
Is there anything we should stay away from pruning?
Hahn said you should avoid doing any pruning on any evergreens between December and the end of February. Very cold temperatures can damage plant parts exposed by pruning, he said.
As a rule, shearing of shrubs should be avoided. Shearing is quite harmful to shrubs, so Hahn said to avoid doing it, if possible. He recommended hand pruning as the best way to clean up your trees.
Hahn said the best time to completely remove a tree or shrub is when the soil is frozen. There will be less disruption and damage to the landscape.
Since planting replacements is best done in the spring, Hahn said to remove plants in winter so you'll be ready for the spring planting season. And since we're not out in the yard much in the wintertime, Hahn said we won’t notice the missing plants as much.
