Tree Trimming and Pruning
Get My Free Quote arrow_forwardWe trim and prune trees across Gauteng, from a single overgrown jacaranda dropping onto your roof to a full garden of trees that have not been touched in years. We shape the tree, take out the dead and dangerous wood, clear the branches off your walls and gutters, and haul the cuttings away. It is one of the tree felling and tree care services we run across Gauteng, we give you a written price first, and we are fully insured on every job.
There is a difference between the two, and it changes what we do and what you pay. Trimming is about looks and clearance: shaping the tree, keeping it off the roof, the wall, and the power line. Pruning is about health: removing dead, damaged, and diseased branches so the tree grows stronger and safer. Most Gauteng gardens need a bit of both, and we tell you which yours needs before we quote, not after.
What It Costs to Trim or Prune a Tree
Price comes down to the size of the tree, how much has to come off, and what is underneath it. Pruning costs less than felling the same tree, because less wood comes down and nothing has to be cut to the ground. As a guide for Gauteng:
| Job | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Pruning or crown reduction, small to medium tree | R650 to R3,500 |
| Crown reduction on a large tree over a roof, pool or wall, rigged in sections | R3,500 to R8,500 |
| Hedge trimming | quoted by length and height |
| Palm frond and seed pod clearing | quoted per palm, by height |
These are guide ranges, not a final quote. A tree over a pool or against a power line costs more than the same tree in open ground, because the work is slower and the rigging is heavier. Use the estimator below for a quick figure, see our tree felling prices page for how pruning sits against removal, and send photos for a written number. If the tree is beyond saving and has to come out, that is a tree felling quote instead, and we tell you which it is before we price it.
What will trimming my tree cost?
Answer two quick questions for a rough range. Every real quote is confirmed on site and put in writing, free.
Estimate only. Your written quote is confirmed after a free on-site look or from your photos.
Get my exact quote on WhatsApp or call 083 761 7228The Best Time to Prune Trees in South Africa
Most of the pruning advice online is written for the northern hemisphere and gets the seasons backwards for us. Here is the honest version for Gauteng.
- check_circleLate winter, roughly June to August, is the best window for most trees. They are dormant or near it, the shape is easy to see with the leaves down, and the tree heals fast when it pushes new growth in spring. This is when we do most planned pruning.
- check_circleSpring and summer are fine for light shaping and for clearing branches off a roof or wall, but avoid heavy pruning in the heat, because a big cut in full leaf stresses the tree.
- check_circleBefore storm season, from about September, is the time to take out deadwood and reduce a heavy crown, so a summer highveld storm has less to tear off and drop on your house.
- check_circleFruit trees and jacarandas have their own timing. We prune fruit trees in winter for the next season's crop, and we tell you the right window for whatever you have.
A dangerous or storm-damaged branch does not wait for a season. If it is a risk now, it comes off now, and that is an emergency tree removal call, not a booking.
How Much Can You Cut Off a Tree Without Killing It?
Less than most people think. The ANSI A300 pruning standard, which is the industry standard arborists work to, sets 25% of a mature tree's live crown as the upper limit for a single pruning. University of Florida tree guidance is stricter: go past 10% only for a good reason, such as a limb likely to fail. A young, vigorous tree can take more. An old or stressed tree should get less.
Every cut is a wound. Take off too much at once and the tree spends its reserves closing wounds instead of feeding roots, pushes out weak panic growth, and opens itself to pests and rot. That is why a tree that needs a lot taken off gets it over two or three winters, not one afternoon. If someone offers to take half the tree off in a day, they are not pruning it, they are damaging it.
The Three D's, and Why We Never Top a Tree
Good pruning starts with the three D's: dead, damaged, and diseased. Those branches come off first, always, because they are the ones that fall, spread rot, and drop on people and property. On most trees, clearing the three D's is 80% of the job.
After that, the rule that matters most: we never remove more than a quarter of a tree's live crown in one visit, and we never "top" a tree, that is, hack the whole top off flat. Topping looks like a cheap quick fix, but it is the single worst thing you can do to a tree. It forces weak, fast regrowth that breaks easily, it opens the tree to disease, and within two years you are paying to deal with a more dangerous tree than you started with. Any company that offers to top your tree cheaply is selling you a future problem. We prune to a plan that keeps the tree's natural shape and its health, and we will tell you honestly when a tree is too far gone to prune and should come out instead, which moves it from pruning to tree felling. Whether it can be saved is a call for our arborist.
How We Do It
- check_circleWe assess the tree first. Species, health, what is around it, and whether it needs trimming, pruning, or removing. That is what the quote is based on.
- check_circleWe climb without spikes. Spikes wound a tree you are trying to keep healthy, so a climber goes up on a rope and harness instead.
- check_circleWe rig the heavy branches down. Big limbs are roped and lowered to the ground crew, never dropped, so nothing lands on your roof, pool, or paving.
- check_circleWe chip and clear. Branches go through the chipper, the cuttings leave with us, and the site is swept before we go. If you want the chips for mulch, we leave them.
Pruning Trees With Shot Hole Borer
Gauteng is the centre of South Africa's polyphagous shot hole borer outbreak, and pruning is one of the ways the beetle spreads. The Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute at the University of Pretoria advises that infested wood be chipped on site and never moved out of the area as firewood, and that tools be cleaned between trees.
On a tree with borer signs, tiny round holes with wet stains or fine powder around them, we prune out the infested branches first, chip them on site, and disinfect saws before moving to the next tree. If the trunk is infested, pruning will not save it, and our arborist will tell you so. Our shot hole borer guide lists the Gauteng species most at risk, including the London planes, English oaks and box elders common in the older suburbs.
Trees, Hedges, and Palms
Trimming and pruning are not just for big trees. We also shape and maintain hedges, which usually need doing twice a year to stay neat, and we handle palms, which need their own approach: dead fronds and seed pods cleared without cutting into the growing crown. Hedges tie into our hedge trimming service, and for palms see palm tree removal and trimming. Everything we cut can go with our green waste removal if you would rather not deal with the pile.
Tree Trimming and Pruning FAQ
What is the difference between tree trimming and pruning?
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Trimming is about appearance and clearance: shaping the tree and keeping it off roofs, walls, and lines. Pruning is about health: removing dead, damaged, and diseased branches so the tree grows stronger. Most gardens need some of both.
How often does a tree need pruning?
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Most established trees need pruning every two to three years to stay healthy and safe. Fast-growing trees and anything near a roof or power line may need it yearly. Hedges need trimming about twice a year. We can tell you the right cycle for your tree when we assess it.
When is the best time to prune trees in South Africa?
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Late winter, June to August, suits most trees, because they are dormant and heal fast in spring. Take deadwood and heavy crowns out before storm season in September. A dangerous branch, though, should come off straight away whatever the season.
Will my tree grow back after pruning?
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Yes. Proper pruning encourages healthy new growth, which is part of the point. What does not grow back well is a topped tree, where the whole crown is hacked off. That regrows weak and dangerous, which is why we never do it.
What are the three D's of pruning?
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Dead, damaged, and diseased. Those are the branches that come off first on any pruning job, because they are the ones most likely to fall, spread rot, or drop on something.
How much does tree pruning cost in Gauteng?
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Pruning or crown reduction on a small to medium tree runs R650 to R3,500. A large tree over a roof or pool that has to be rigged in sections runs R3,500 to R8,500. Hedges and palms are quoted on size. Use the estimator on this page, then send photos for an exact figure.
How many branches can you cut off a tree without killing it?
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The ANSI A300 standard sets 25% of the live crown as the limit for one pruning. University of Florida guidance says stay under 10% unless a branch is dangerous. A tree that needs more than that gets it over two or three winters.
What is the difference between crown reduction, crown thinning and crown lifting?
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Crown reduction makes the whole tree smaller by cutting back to lower growth points, and is the usual fix for a tree over a roof. Crown thinning takes out selected inner branches so wind passes through instead of pushing on the tree, without changing its size. Crown lifting removes the lowest branches to clear a driveway, a path or a view. We tell you which your tree needs when we assess it.
Do I need permission to prune the tree on my pavement?
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Yes. In Johannesburg, verge trees belong to the City and only Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo may prune or remove them. Tshwane and Ekurhuleni have the same rule through their own parks departments. Trees inside your boundary are yours to prune. Our Johannesburg tree felling page has the City Parks contact numbers.
Can you trim a tree near power lines?
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Where a tree is touching or overhanging a live line, we do not cut until the line is made safe, and we tell you how that is arranged. We plan the work so nothing goes near live cable.
Get a Free Trimming or Pruning Quote
Send a couple of photos of the tree and your suburb, or book a site visit, and you get a written, no-obligation quote with everything listed.
WhatsApp 083 761 7228We trim and prune everywhere we do tree felling in Gauteng, from Sandton and Randburg across to the East Rand and Pretoria. See the full list of areas we serve.