Tree Pruning Cost

If you decide to improve your property’s appearance using either trees or shrubs, you have to be prepared to conduct maintenance practices every once in a while. Tree care will ensure that the trees retain their health and beauty.

One of the maintenance practices that tree owners cannot ignore is tree pruning. When planning to prune your trees, the first thing you will want to know is the tree pruning cost. To ensure that you are well prepared the next time you decide to use an Orange County-based tree pruning service, we will show you the tree pruning cost you should expect.

Orange County Tree Pruning Cost

On average, you should expect to spend $417 on the tree pruning if you reside in Orange County. The Orange County tree pruning cost is approximately $176 on the lower end and $658 on the higher end.

If you ignore tree pruning, the trees will eventually grow too dense. This results in the sunlight not having the ability to touch the interior of the tree. Additionally, water will be kept from reaching the tree’s root. While the tree may appear lush when observed from the outside, it will be dying a slow death from the inside due to lack of enough sunlight and water.

Orange County Tree Pruning Cost Factors

The Orange County tree pruning cost depends on a couple of factors. The main factors which affect the tree pruning cost include:

• Tree type
• The health of the tree
• The location of the tree
• The size of the tree

If you own huge trees, you should be prepared to spend more money on the pruning compared to someone who has smaller trees. If the tree pruners have to deal with power lines when pruning your tree, you may have to pay them more money.

Thick branches are harder to cut compared to thinner branches. Hence, the Orange County tree pruning cost for trees which have thicker branches will be higher. Diseased and pest-infested trees will require more effort and time to prune. For this reason, their tree pruning cost will be higher.

Tree Pruning Timing

If you are new to tree pruning, you may not know when you should prune the trees. Tree pruning timing is dependent on a couple of factors. These factors include:

• Aesthetics – If you are working with experienced tree pruners, they can help you improve your tree’s appearance.
• Safety – In some instances, trees do grow too close to the utility lines. Also, if left unchecked, tree branches can obstruct your vision when you are driving in and out of your home. Dead or broken branches can fall unexpectedly. Pruning trees can help you improve your compound’s safety and also reduce the risk of property damage.
• Health – If you happen to catch a disease early, you can cut it off. This will keep it from spreading throughout the affected tree.

The best time for pruning trees in Orange County is just after they enter their dormant stage. The dormant stage is the stage when the tree stops growing actively.

If you have different trees on your property, you need to understand that the different trees will have different growth periods. Understanding each tree’s growth period can help you avoid pruning it at the wrong time. If a tree, however, is a safety hazard, you don’t have to wait for the dormant stage to prune it. Safety always comes first.

Orange County Tree Pruning Cost for Large Trees

As we had mentioned earlier on, if your compound features huge trees, your tree pruning cost will be higher. Bigger trees have more branches which are often harder to reach when compared to smaller trees.

If the tree’s height exceeds 60 feet, you should expect to spend approximately $800 to $1000 on the tree pruning. The cost will vary within this range depending on the tree location and the number of trees you want the tree service provider to prune. After checking out the trees you want to be pruned, a tree service professional should be able to provide a quote showing the cost you should expect to incur.

Additional Orange County Tree Pruning Cost Considerations

It is not uncommon for tree owners to incur some additional tree pruning charges. To give an example, if the tree pruning service provider has to drive for a long time before getting to your property, you may have to pay a travel fee. It is often necessary for tree owners to pay for the labor and materials/equipment.

In some rare instances, you may have to pay an additional fee for the location of the tree. If the tree is already infested with pests or has a disease, you may need to pay for either the disease control or pesticide application. To avoid unexpected extra charges, ask the Orange County tree service provider to include all the possible extra charges you may incur in your quote.

Seasonal Factors to Consider When Pruning Trees

After years of observing a wide variety of trees, a seasonal pattern that can be followed when taking care of trees has already been established. In this section, we will be looking at this pattern:

Spring

The spring is the ideal time to fertilize and water the trees you have in your property. This will ensure that the trees are both strong and healthy when the summer arrives. Most trees grow actively during the spring. Hence, pruning the trees during this season may not be a good idea. If you intend to add more trees to your compound, the spring is the best time to plant the additional trees.

Summer

You should avoid touching your trees during the summer season. If there is a need, you can do some minor trimming. Unless the tree branches become a safety hazard, avoid pruning the tree. If the weather is extremely dry, you can water your trees.

Fall

Most trees will be in their dormant stage in the fall. This is the best season to think of performing major pruning and trimming operations. In the fall season, you can:

• Remove all the diseased and dead branches.
• Improve the tree shape by trimming both the top and the sides. This will also improve the tree’s sunlight access.
• Perform any other maintenance practice that will require a lot of cutting.

Winter

The only thing you should consider doing to your healthy trees is protecting them from the cold and snow. The winter season is an ideal time to fell the dying or the already dead trees. Consider removing the trees which may potentially damage your property.

If there were some trees you did not prune in the fall, you can consider pruning them in the winter season. Arborists are less busy in the winter season. You can consider using their services at a more affordable rate.

Pruning Fruit Trees

Dead and diseased branches can lower the quality and quantity of the product you get from your fruit trees. To get high-quality yield from your fruit’s trees, you have to invest some of your money into pruning them. Below, we will tell you what you should know when pruning the fruit trees:

Apple Trees

If you have apple trees, you should invest your time and money into their pruning in the later spring or early winter. It is important that you prune the apple trees regularly for the first 6 years. This will ensure that the tree grows upwards in a conical shape. Older trees should also be pruned to ensure that they retain the conical shape and to promote fruit growth.

Lemon Trees

The perfect time to start pruning your lemon trees is immediately after the fruit-bearing season is over. First, you should remove all the dead and diseased branches. Remove any stem whose diameter is smaller than that of a pencil.

To prevent insects, ensure that you remove all the branches which touch the ground. Branches which grow vertically and also cross other branches should be removed. Thin the lemon tree to ensure that sunlight can reach its inner parts.

Plum Trees

You should consider pruning your trees between June and August, in the summer season. This helps protect your plum tree from the fungal infections which are often a result of wet weather conditions. Ensure you prune the trees only on clear and dry days. The moisture in the air should be as low as possible.

You can prune the trees on a yearly basis. Over-trimming the trees a little bit shouldn’t a problem considering that the plum trees are generally very resilient. Remove the lower branches. Also, make sure that the sunlight is capable of reaching all the fruit-bearing stems.

Cherry Trees

A lot of care is required when you are pruning the cherry trees. You should prune the trees in the early fall. Ensure you get rid of the water sprouts or suckers which appear at the ground level. Avoid cutting any branch that meets the cherry tree trunk.

You have to be careful to avoid making cuts all over your cherry tree. The only branches that deserve removal are the ones which take away from both the growth and beauty of the tree. Use the tree shape as guidance.

Fig Trees

After you transplant the fig tree, you should prune it several times over the initial winter. You can remove more than half the tree’s branch growth. This will give the fig tree a strong root system.

As time progresses, you will need to prune the tree in a way that encourages the growth of low and horizontal branches. Choose 4 to 6 branches for holding the fruit. Removing suckers from the base will help ensure that the tree stays healthy.

Do It Yourself (DIY) Tree Pruning

If you would like to avoid adding tree pruning cost to your budget, DIY tree pruning may be a good option for you. Before you start pruning your trees, it is essential that you be familiar with the tree pruning techniques. Being familiar with tree pruning techniques will help you avoid damaging your trees irreparably.

How to Trim or Prune a Tree

When choosing a tree branch to cut, you need to consider the branch size. If the branch’s diameter does not exceed 2 inches (5 cm), you can remove it. Branches whose diameter lies between 2 inches and 4 inches (5 cm and 10 cm) have to be considered more carefully. If you cannot determine whether the branch should be removed or left on the tree, the best thing to do is leave it on the tree.

If a branch has a diameter that exceeds 4 inches (10 centimeters), you should allow it to stay on the tree. However, if the branch is a safety hazard, you can go ahead and cut it.

You can also decide to cut a branch or leave it alone based on the angle it makes with the rest of the branches. Branches which form V-shaped angles can be cut. Branches growing at a U-shaped angle should be left alone.

The ratio you need to aim for between your tree’s height and the size of the crown is 2:3. Avoid cutting more than 25% of the tree’s crown at once. We have some crown work techniques below:

Crown Thinning

This maintenance practice involves the removal of excess branches from the tree top and the outer edges. This helps the branches left on the tree grow stronger. During crown thinning, ensure that even spaces exist between the lateral tree branches.

Crown Raising

This practice involves the removal of branches and excess foliage from the bottom. This helps clear both sidewalks and roads. Keep the branches at about two-thirds of the tree height.

Crown Reduction

This involves the removal of branches and foliage from the tree top. This is ideal in the following situations:

• If it promotes people’s safety.
• If it reduces the risk of property damage.
• If it helps promote tree health.

Before you cut a tree branch, locate its collar and the ridge which is generally parallel to the tree branch. Ensure that you cut away from the collar and outside the ridge.

Tree Pruning Tools and Materials

For your tree pruning exercise to succeed, you have to use the right tools. Below, we have outlined the tools you may need:

• Bypass pruner – This tool is ideal for cutting the narrow-angled stems. The sharp and curved blade cuts cleanly.
• Looping shears – These offer larger leverage. They are ideal for bigger stems. When compared to the anvil blade and gear joints, the bypass is often a better choice. Some shears feature shock absorption which reduces arm fatigue.
• Pruning saws – The type of pruning saw you purchase will depend on the type of branch you intend to cut. Fine-toothed saws are ideal for branches whose diameter does not exceed 2 inches. Coarse-toothed saw are ideal for branches whose diameter exceeds 3 inches.
• Pole pruners – These pruners feature a long pole and a rope which activates the cutting mechanism. These pruners are ideal for pruning branches that are incredibly high. When using these pruners in close proximity to the utility lines, you should exercise caution.
• Hedge clippers – These are perfect if you intend to prune hedges or shrubs.

Before changing to a different tree, you should clean and disinfect the pruning tool. This will reduce the chances of diseases being transmitted from one tree to another. 70% rubbing alcohol is an ideal cleaning agent. You should avoid using bleaches or other household cleaners.