Pruning vs. trimming: What are their key differences?

Every well-thought-out garden maintenance checklist includes hedge, shrub, or tree management. After all, lush plants elevate curb appeal, promote a thriving ecosystem, and offer precious privacy. But when it comes to caring for your leafy companions, the question of pruning vs. trimming confuses many.

This comprehensive guide spells out their points of difference and informs you how much professional gardening services cost, whether you need to hire an arborist, and where to find a specialist. If you’re ready to tackle those unhealthy tree branches and misshapen hedges, read on.

What is pruning?

Pruning refers to the process of removing diseased and dead branches, buds, and stems from shrubs, hedges, and trees. The reasons for pruning range from improving the garden’s aesthetic to promoting excellent plant or tree growth.

For example, it increases fruit production by enhancing air circulation, preventing the risk of disease. It also strengthens the plant’s structure by removing excess branches that could rub against each other. Canopy lifting or crown raising widens the spaces between trees, allowing more sunlight to penetrate small branches, flowers, and leaves below.

When to prune depends on many factors, including plant species, health, and desired outcome. Young trees usually need pruning every two to three years, compared to three to five years for mature ones.

What is trimming?

Trimming is less precise or extensive than pruning. Typically, it helps maintain the plant’s appearance, especially its size and shape. For example, regularly trimming hedges keeps them dense and within bounds.

The best time to trim usually coincides with the plant’s growth or flowering cycle, although it happens more frequently than pruning.

Trimming vs. pruning: How are they different?

Should you trim a shrub bush or prune a tree? Knowing the difference between pruning and trimming can help you make better decisions about garden care. Compare these two methods below.

In terms of purpose

To prune trees or hedges is more comprehensive than to trim them. Besides improving their appearance, it maintains their health, especially their growth and structure. Pruning:

• Removes damaged or diseased branches, flowers, and leaves to allow healthier parts to thrive.

• Limits overgrown branches that might prevent sunlight from penetrating the leaves and flowers beneath the canopy.

• Supports a young plant’s development by preventing misshapen growth or weaker branches.

On the other hand, trimming revolves around aesthetics. It keeps hedges and shrubs looking tidy, even, and defined. Trimming branches helps clear pathways or walkways, while pinching off flower heads encourages bushier or denser foliage.

In other words, trimming maintains the plant’s look, while pruning keeps it healthy.

In terms of required knowledge

Another significant pruning and trimming difference is the required knowledge. Usually, homeowners can manage with regular light trimming. These include removing dead or loose branches and flower heads of young trees and shearing some parts of shrubs and hedges for “touch-ups.” These activities require only basic knowledge and equipment such as shears.

Because pruning is more complicated, a professional is essential. Hire a certified arborist when your trees need canopy cleaning or management of diseased branches and pest-infested plants. A gardener is a good choice for dealing with common issues.

In terms of essential tools

Pruning is usually hard work, requiring more specialized tools than trimming. These include pruning shears, which can create clean cuts on smaller branches. Lopping shears are excellent for cutting thicker parts of overgrown foliage, while pruning saws remove entire large branches.

Different shear types work for trimming. Hedge shears have long handles and wider blades to cut broad areas of foliage quickly, saving time and energy. A pair of hand shears has shorter blades to remove the tips of shrubs, flowers, hedges, and small branches.

Contrary to popular belief, most garden shears can still work well even when not razor-sharp. However, they need the right sharpening tool to maintain their effectiveness. Some of the cheapest options are sandpaper and aluminum foil. Duller shears might benefit from diamond stones, which are more expensive and challenging to use. When in doubt (or save yourself some money), let a gardener bring their tools.

In terms of cutting technique/severity

When comparing tree pruning vs. trimming in terms of cutting techniques, think of pruning as doing surgery, which means it is more invasive, complex, or severe:

• It involves removing specific plant parts, such as dead or diseased branches, flowers, and leaves. 

• Sometimes, it requires cutting at awkward angles.

• It may entail getting rid of much foliage to stimulate the growth of newer and healthier plant parts.

Meanwhile, trimming is like getting a basic haircut. It usually involves repetitively snipping small amounts of plant material to retain its shape and enhance its appearance. It also cuts the tips of flowers to motivate a bushier growth.

The cutting technique also varies among plants, such as pruning vs. trimming shrubs like roses. These woody perennials usually need light trimming at the tip of their branches to maintain their size and shape or deadheading to get rid of spent flowers and allow new buds to form and bloom. Pruning them by making thin or selective cuts promotes healthy growth and abundant flowering and minimizes the risk of disease.

In terms of plant health impact

Both pruning and trimming raise healthy trees in different ways. For example, one of the pruning methods, crown thinning, removes smaller branches at the upper parts of a tree to prevent overcrowding or fungal infestation from dead or diseased branches. Although trimming is usually cosmetic, removing the branches’ tips indirectly stimulates the growth of new ones.

However, over-pruning and trimming also lead to problems. Consider pollarding, a pruning technique that significantly limits the tree’s growth to avoid letting it touch electric wires or cover buildings and traffic signs. When done improperly, it leaves significant wounds, contributing to decay and disease. For this reason, an arborist performs crown restoration to reduce the damage.

Over-trimming can cause plant stress, decreasing its vigor. Removing excessive foliage also results in poor plant photosynthesis.

In terms of timing and frequency

When is the best time to prune or trim hedges and other plants? It depends on many factors, such as tree species, seasons, and conditions. Diseased branches, flowers, and leaves need urgent attention (more likely pruning than trimming).

Other than this:

• Do not prune newly planted trees, as they are still building and strengthening their roots. If you need to, limit it to only removing unhealthy branches.

• Prune younger trees every two to three years. Widen the interval as they mature.

• Remove thicker, diseased branches of dormant trees during early spring to encourage the proper growth of new leaves and flowers.

• Some plants can tolerate late-fall pruning, but the best time is late winter to early spring. 

• Time the pruning after most spring flowering trees bloom so that the following year’s buds are less likely to fall.

• Prune shrubs such as crape myrtle in the early spring or late winter before you see new growth.

Many plants can benefit from both trimming and pruning. For example, pruning a hedge is ideal during its first two to three years or until it reaches your desired height. The process helps spot diseases that might spread quickly. Once you are happy with the result, you can do trimming once a year, although some plants might need more.

In terms of service cost

Trim vs. prune costs significantly vary because of many factors. These include location, project complexity, and urgency. The average cost is less than $500, but it can be as high as $2,000 per project. 

The labor expense is around $20 per hour for standard work and $100 or more for more complex tasks that might require climbing equipment. Note that tree trimming services usually cost less than $1,000 for plants below 60 feet.

Achieve careful pruning or trimming with Airtasker

Up for pruning or trimming that tree yourself? Sure thing! With all the tools and equipment in your local hardware store, you’ve got options. But it’s not always the best call, especially for some situations. Think thick branches, diseased shrubs or hedges, or those towering trees. 

Consider hiring a professional if you want more than removing unnecessary branches and wish to improve your home’s general landscaping. You can find the right gardener or landscaper for the job by following these steps:

1. Go to the website and click “Post your task for free.”

2. Create a title for the post, such as “Trim my rose bush” or “Looking for LA landscaper.”

3. Determine the date for the job. It can be specific or flexible.

4. Provide other details, such as the condition of your plants and trees and whether you need hedge trimming and pruning.

5. Set a budget.

6. Publish the task and wait for proposals. Compare quotes, profiles, and ratings to choose the best Tasker.