Tag Archives: pruning

Roughest March On Record?

March of 2018 has proven to be a tough end to a long winter.  Three Nor’Easters in and it still might not be over.  As we start to think about spring it’s easy to try to forget about the cold weather and piles of snow.

Always remember to keep an eye on your drains and never forget to keep vents clear.  As the snow piles up, so can water problems.

The past few storms have bombarded cities and towns with wind damage.  Now is the time to think about preventive maintenance for next year’s storms.  Trimming back dead branches or removing a diseased tree can prevent expensive property damage later.

Call us for an estimate today!

Fall Cleanups

The fall can be one of the prettiest times of year.  When you look around at all the colors, it’s easy to forgive your yard for also becoming a maintenance nightmare for a couple of months.

Cleaning up leaves and tree debris can take up a lot of time but it is essential to keeping your lawn healthy.  A small pile of leaves or pine needles can kill the grass underneath it if’s left unchecked for too long.  Fall is also the time to weed out the mulchbeds, dethatch your lawn and aerate.  Getting rid of the extra weeds, soil and dead grass can help strengthen the plants and trees in your yard.  After a whole season of walking and mowing, your lawn can become compacted.  Aeration and dethatching helps more water, air and important nutrients get to your lawn’s roots.  Maximize the benefits of your fall fertilizer by aerating and removing thatch buildup.

Fall is a good time to perform touch-up pruning on your shrubs and trees.  Before they settle in for winter, remember to heavily water your trees and shrubs one last time to help keep them hydrated during the long winter months.  Anytime before the ground freezes will work.

The fall is also a great time for planting.  Plant your spring bulbs now and you can be sure your tulips and daffodils will come up in the spring.  It’s important to keep an eye on weather trends, though.  A late fall warm spell could cause the bulbs to sprout early, while planting them after it’s too cold means they may not properly root.

Since you won’t be needing your gardening tools in the winter, the fall is the perfect time for a little preventive maintenance.  Take a few minutes to clean off excess dirt and debris from your lawn tools before you store them away for winter.  We also recommend applying a little oil on the metal parts to prevent rusting while they are in storage over the winter.

Remember, you don’t have to do all the yard work yourself!  Call Matt’s Landscaping today for a free estimate and see what we can do for you this fall.

Tree Pruning


There is a science to pruning your trees and shrubs, although it is not exactly a cut and dry case.
Tree pruning is an important part of the development of your trees. You can prevent disease or accidents as well as improve the tree’s overall shape and size with a pruning program. Often, we think of tree pruning as simply preventing a tree from growing too large to fit our landscape. However, tree pruning can help a tree grow larger and healthier, if it is done correctly.
The most common reason to trim your trees is to get rid of deadwood. Any dead branches are not going to grow back and there is no reason to keep them. Eventually, deadwood will rot and fall off the tree, damaging your landscape or even your car or home.
In order to shape a tree there are particular ways to trim certain branches and encourage growth in others. For example, you may have more sun on one side of your tree than another. As a result, the tree may be growing more on the sunny side and may be thin on the shady side. With proper pruning, the tree can be evened out and will be stronger and more resistant to the damaging effects of a harsh New England storm. You can prevent excessive weight on one side of a tree with regular pruning and monitoring of the tree. If a branch is getting to be too large (specifically is about 1/2 the size of the tree’s trunk or larger) it may be a good idea to trim it back or remove it entirely. Heavier outer branches can put a strain of the interior of a tree, making it weaker and more susceptible to breaking. Proper tree pruning can not only make your yard look nicer, but it can make your yard safer! If your trees and shrubs need help, call Matt’s Landscaping for a free estimate.