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PRUNING FOR LANDSCAPE LIGHTING
Are your gardens getting in the way of the illumination? Don't let your petunias drown out your residential landscape lighting. Prune to match the fixture. There are techniques to keep in mind when pruning for your landscape lighting. These techniques aren't complicated and can be easily incorporated into any gardening practice. We want to make sure you get the most out of your landscape lighting. That's why we've compiled a list of tips to help you to show off your gorgeous residential landscape lighting.
Why bother pruning?
If you're one of those homeowners that usually skip pruning in your gardening practice, you may be wondering why pruning is essential. The fact is that pruning has several benefits beyond simply providing more room for your landscape lighting.
Plants that are allowed to grow too wide will not be as healthy as those trimmed regularly. Those old decrepit endings on your plants hog the nutrients from the fresh new sprouts, essentially weakening the whole plant. This creates a cycle where unhealthy branches block out the light from your landscape lighting.
When should you prune
To get the best results, you'll want to prune just before the growing season starts. This is usually best done in early spring, but it depends on the plant and its peak growing season. However, pruning is always best practiced before budding and growth have taken full force, as trimming at this time may only cause damage. Your plant uses up all its energy to grow and can't spend any more on repair post-pruning.
Throughout the summer, keep on top of your plant maintenance. Remove the dead leaves, twigs, and branches from both the plant itself and the plant's base.
How to prune for residential landscape lighting
To "thin" the plants, you remove strategic areas of your foliage to make the tree appear less weighty. This process also creates more areas through which the illumination from your fixtures may shine.
If you are going to thin your trees out, keep in mind that older trees shouldn't be thinned as much as younger trees, as they are weaker with age. Furthermore, only 25% of the foliage and branches should be removed in a single trimming.
"Raising" is another effect that creates more room for your residential landscape lighting to shine through. This is the process of removing and thinning branches close to the base of the tree or shrub.
Finally, keep up on cleaning the plants. This simply involves removing dead, diseased, or weak branches.
Illuminate your gardens this summer with Nashville Lighting. Contact us today for a free estimate.
615.488.0020
