Improper pruning kills greenery more often than pests do, so you definitely don’t want your renters doing it themselves. For strong, healthy greenery and a strong, healthy investment in Montrose real estate, it’s necessary that you are familiar with proper pruning techniques. Look for a good landscape company that understands the importance of this, knows how to do it, and can perform this important maintenance duty for you.
What is pruning and why is it important?
Pruning simply means trimming back overgrowth that can damage a plant or weaken its structure. Cutting away the dead or diseased limbs will lengthen the life of the plant and help prevent infestations of pests on your property. Both will maintain your property value, if not add to it. Pruning also has other advantages such as the removal of overhanging branches from the sidewalk or driveway. This additional advantage is very useful as it prevents the branches from reaching your Montrose rental property’s roof or windows, or surrounding power lines.
If you’re not proactive about pruning, dead limbs can simply crack off on their own, which might hit a person and injure them or fall on a vehicle and cause property damage. Bushes and trees that didn’t go through being properly pruned can be the cause of minor nuisances such as cuts from thorns to major hazards such as obstructing views of traffic. Additionally, in many areas, you are legally required to maintain the landscape in such a way as to not create a nuisance, block line of vision, or to encroach on property lines or air space.
To avoid lawsuits, perform regular trimming of trees and shrubberies every spring. Making cuts in cold weather can damage the plant. You can train a plant’s branches simply by making slightly angular cuts that will shape its growth in the most attractive or functional direction. Cut above growth buds to preserve flowers.
Why should the resident avoid pruning?
You can hand over mowing and water to the tenants. However, the actual tree trimming and general pruning are best handled by experts as the risks are too high. The liability involved with ladders and the chances for landscape damage and tenant injury is ultimately too risky. Make sure to communicate this in the lease so the tenant won’t topple off a ladder or mishandle power tools while attempting to fulfill a vague “landscaping” clause. If you neglect to add this in, the potential lawsuits will far outweigh an annual vendor fee.
Another thing you need to consider is that not every tenant has a natural green thumb. The possibility that they will weaken, warp, or kill greenery that formerly counted to your property value can lay waste to your curb appeal and be an even highly-priced mistake if you have to replant each thing.
Should you outsource pruning?
The primary concern of maintaining a rental property is all about protecting your investment, which entails conducting regular maintenance, inside and out. For safety and insurance reasons, and to get a job well done, it’s a good idea to turn over the landscaping maintenance to professionals. If a tree branch is under 10 cm thick, you should be able to handle it yourself. If it is bigger than 10 cm, consider calling a skilled maintenance crew for the fastest, most reliable way to the most elegant results.
Real Property Management Now has a network of licensed, insured maintenance staff to perform regular, proactive pruning for your single-family residence in Montrose. We can also oversee the entire leasing process, making certain that all landscaping responsibilities are appropriately written down and relayed to your tenants. Contact us or call 970-314-7123 for more information today.
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