Its time to prune your trees but you don’t know what the best season is to schedule the work. This is a common dilemma faced by property owners, and we’re here to help. The first step in determining a pruning plan for your tree is to identify the reason for pruning. If a tree was properly trained from a young age, and has a strong structure, it may require little to no pruning depending on its location, but many other trees require a regular pruning schedule in order to keep them healthy, attractive, and safe for your environment.
Common reasons for pruning
- Removal of dead/diseased limbs
- Reduction/removal of hazardous limbs
- Correction of structural issues
- Size control
- Shaping and clearance pruning
For deadwood removal or any pressing structural problems, most trees can tolerate a light to moderate pruning job at any time of year. But if you are simply planning for your regularly scheduled tree maintenance, winter is a great time to prune most trees. Winter is when trees enter dormancy, and growth comes to a halt. When pruning is done during dormancy, trees are able to quickly respond to the pruning wounds as they begin to grow again in spring. If an especially severe pruning is required, late winter just before trees break dormancy is an ideal time to prune. New growth is maximized when trees are pruned just before growth begins in the spring. Winter pruning can also be advantageous because pests and decay organisms tend to be less active in the cold weather, making pruning wounds less susceptible to infection.
Winter pruning is ideal for many trees but there are some caveats that must be mentioned. First, some trees are susceptible to pathogens that are spread in wet environments (e.g. live oaks and sudden oak death). Creating pruning wounds on these trees during a rainy period may increase their chance of infection, so pruning should be delayed until later in the year. Secondly, if size control or clearance pruning is your objective, spring/summer pruning may be more appropriate. If live branches are removed after new leaves have formed in the growing season, root growth slows and the overall size of the tree will be controlled more effectively. A final consideration for pruning later in the year is that certain trees such as walnuts and maples often exude sap if pruned in late winter or spring. Though generally not considered harmful to the tree, this sap can stain bark and be unsightly. If pruning is delayed until fall there will be significantly less sap that bleeds out of pruning wounds.
Timing of pruning comes down to clearly defining your objectives, as well as taking into account the tolerances of the specific trees that are in your yard. If you need help in determining a plan to keep your trees in harmony with the rest of your property, don’t hesitate to contact us today for a free consultation!
Key takeaways:
- Winter is generally considered the best time to prune most trees, especially when doing a more severe pruning job.
- Summer/Fall pruning may be more appropriate if your goal is to control the size of your tree, or if your tree has particular pest/cultural considerations.
- Light pruning can be tolerated by most trees at any time of year.