Pruning a tree is trimming away the dead or overgrown branches on a tree or shrub, and it is important for many reasons. Most importantly, it keeps you, your family, and your property safe. Dead or overhanging limbs can be a safety hazard to people, power lines, and building structures. Pruning itself can also be dangerous. Here’s three things to consider when pruning your trees.

Improve Growth

A tree’s structure can become unbalanced if it loses a limb or its growth is retarded in some way early in life. Pruning can help get it back and balance so it can continue to grow strong. It will also make for a more aesthetically pleasing tree. A tree can also develop two leaders, the part of the tree at the very top that growth comes from. Pruning will correct this. Proper pruning can also encourage a tree to produce more fruit.

Let the Light Shine

If you have a lot of trees in your yard, you may have too much shade from a thick overstory. Pruning will open the canopy, allowing the sunlight to penetrate. This will allow other herbaceous plants to grow as well as give more energy to the trees you already have.

It’s All About Timing

If a tree suffers some kind of sudden damage, like from a storm, and it poses a safety hazard, of course it should be pruned immediately. The same goes for a dead limb hanging over your home or sidewalk. But in general, trees should be pruned during their dormant period in late winter or very early spring, before they begin budding or flowing sap. Just like any living creature, trees can become stressed from pruning but insects and fungus won’t be able to take hold during the cold months.

It’s also important to not prune too much of the tree at one time. A professional arborist or landscaper will know exactly what is best for your trees.

If you allow debris to collect in your gutters, prepare to deal with home maintenance issues in the future. Gutters are important because they keep rainwater from weakening the foundation of your home. They also protect your landscape from floods that may develop during severe weather conditions. This apparatus is extremely useful, but you’ll expose your home to numerous potential hazards if you do not keep them clean.

An excessive amount of rubbish in your gutters can clog your downspouts and underground pipes. This is a common problem among homeowners who refuse to clean out their troughs regularly. Clogged downspouts will prevent the rainwater from flowing through the gutter system effortlessly. This is a recurrent problem that usually ends up causing a succession of maintenance issues.

If water struggles to flow into the downspout, it will eventually pour over the sides of the gutter. This will create a cascade that can quickly form a puddle around the home. The standing water can potentially flood the basement and compromise the structure’s foundation. It can also erode the soil and destroy any plant life that may be surrounding the home.

Cascading water can also seep behind the facia board and into the eaves. Some of the water may even bleed into roof boards and leak behind walls. If this water doesn’t dry quickly, the moisture can cause the wood to rot, soften, and bow in several areas. It can also leak into the electrical wires and components powering the home.

You will not lose anything but your labor and time if you make the sincere choice to clean your gutters regularly. Hiring a professional to do the job may only cost you a few hundred dollars at most. This is infinitely better than the thousands of dollars it will cost to fix a leaky roof or flooded basement. By staying on top of your gutter care, you can avoid these grim, but very avoidable, maintenance nightmares.