When, why and how often should you prune your Kauai trees and shrubs?
This question isn’t so easy to answer in Hawaii, where plants are growing all the time. Sure, landscapes slow down slightly in winter months when the temperatures are a bit cooler, but the growing season never really comes to a full stop.
So how do you deal with pruning when plants never take a break from growing?
Unfortunately, when it comes to pruning, we often see commercial properties on the island where a landscape contractor goes in for “routine pruning” and severely cuts back trees and shrubs. This is potentially harmful for the plants, and disappointing for clients—especially when trees that flower annually are pruned before they bloom. (Boo!) Excessive pruning basically can shock a plant into survival mode, causing it stress and affecting its growth potential.
At No Ka Oi, we believe there’s both a science and an art to pruning trees and shrubs.
The science speaks to when and why: pruning after bloom time; and for the purpose of removing damaged and/or dead branching so plants can generate new, healthy growth.
The art addresses how pruning should be executed. No Ka Oi takes a light-handed approach, pruning on a regular basis year-round to keep the look consistent. This is important for our Kauai resort and commercial properties, and it prevents the need for aggressive cutting back. If plants are maintained year-round, that just isn’t necessary (and it’s not great for plant health either).
Pruning is a matter of safety, plant health and property preservation. Here are 5 reasons why we prune, how we do it properly and when’s the best time to provide optimum results.
Prune For Safety
First and foremost, pruning trees and shrubs ensures the safety of visitors to your Kauai commercial property. Overgrown branches and brush that extends on to walkways and grounds where people traverse can present a trip-and-fall hazard.
We immediately manage plant growth by pruning to keep Kauai properties safe for the people who live, work and play there.
Prune To Maintain Plant Health & Beauty
The first order of business when pruning is to remove dead, diseased or dying branches that could affect the ability for new, healthy growth. These “dead ends” can allow insects and disease to set in and compromise the overall health of the plant.
Removing excess woody branches also allows the plant to focus more energy on flower production. The net result of proper pruning is a plant with better form and more vigorous blooms.
Prune To Preserve Views
The breathtaking views of Kauai that our resort and commercial clients offer are priceless. Those views are an attraction for visitors, and also a selling point for properties. That said, trees and shrubs are maintained to preserve the integrity of the plant while keeping stray and excessive growth from blocking that perfect vista.
Prune To Keep Bugs Out
When plant growth branches up and interferes with the appearance of a building’s architecture, there’s more at stake than spoiling a property’s curb appeal. Insects can use trees as a pathway to enter the building. That’s why cutting back plants that grow up against buildings is important.
Prune To Mitigate Storm Damage
Trees and shrubs must weather Kauai’s tradewinds, and also survive heavy gusts that can beat up against our beaches when storms hit the island.
Naturally, winds take hold of overgrown and stray tree branches, ripping them from the trunks and causing more damage to plants. This presents a risk to properties’ buildings and the people staying there. Regular, light year-round pruning maintains the form of trees and shrubs so they stay sturdy and strong during storms.
Prune Smart! Hire A Landscape Maintenance Specialist
Pruning is not a simple matter of cutting back branches. There are specific guidelines for pruning based on the type of tree or shrub. A commercial landscape maintenance firm with experienced professionals on staff — like No Ka Oi Landscape Services — can identify the bloom time of trees and properly execute pruning so your Kauai property stays safe, insect-free, protected during storms—and beautiful for guests!
Let’s talk about your property’s pruning needs. We look forward to coming out to your site to take a look! Call us at 808-335-5887, or fill out this simple contact form and we’ll get in touch with you.
