tree pruning

[Tim_B.]

Welcome to the TreeHouse forum, also, Thomas!

Tim

 

[Raj]

Welcome!

 

[squisher]

Canadians are plum taking this place over! Welcome Thomas.

 

[mdvaden]

Good evening. I was wondering when the best time of year is to prune/trim trees. Tried finding a thread on it but no luck yet. It seems like spring would be the worst time because of the sap flowing but seeing all the dead branches now that the leaves are back is making me anxious to try out my new saw! I don't want to hurt the trees in the process. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Its not so much the question "when is the best time of year to prune".

The best question is more along the lines of "what time of year should pruning not be done for certain trees and certain circumstances".

For example, don't raise the canopy on the west side of most trees from the end of May to mid-September, to avoid sunburn. Unless the bark is over 1 inch thick.

There are hypothetical best times, but the inconsequential difference is not a big a deal as avoiding damage related to other badly timed changes.

 

[mdvaden]

Early spring, well before they leaf out, is as good a time as any. Winter, during dormancy, when there are no bugs and a clear view of the canopy structure, also good. Early Summer can be rough, as the tree just spent all this energy on leafing out, and are expecting a nice return on that effort. You can prune away dead stuff pretty much any time you like.

I'm sure somebody around here has a bit more experience with trees down your way than I do.

Out of curiosity, what are ya pruning?

I've been pruning trees more or less non-stop since 1980, and haven't really seen any problem with light to moderate thinning and corrective pruning.

One experience that particularly useful, was the pruning of entire golf courses for a full year and also for several consecutive years, where it was available to observe every tree's response or growth on a daily basis, year after year.

Extreme work is generally always bad. But mild changes, even to live tissue appear to be fine.

My target most often seems to be little defects or problems that can become bigger cuts and problems if left alone, and deciding whether they need to go now or next time.

 

[treemender]

In all honesty if you don't take the pruning job then the company that will do it is often just going to hack it. I try convince the client of certain trees and best times to prune, but if they want it done now then it's going to get done. This is where best practice and often a compromise on the works done is made. Taking little amounts at any time of year is better than lots in the dormant season.

I'll also talk about aftercare possibly and not limited to; a decent feeding schedule, irrigation and soil de-compaction if relevant. A bit like us after injury or illness, a good bowl of soup picks us up.

 

[pantheraba]

Good. Post. Welcome to the House.

 

[JD3000]

Cuts made during the growing season generally form more wound wood faster, see Dujesiefken and Liese, as well as Shigo among others. Cuts made during the winter show more cambial dieback and the callus and woundwood reaction is usually slower. However, its certainly easier to see what you need to do in the winter. Another concern is the spread of pathogens such as oak wilt and fireblight to wounds during the growing season so be mindful of that.
Autumn pruning can also be problematic because many decay organisms are sporulating then but some can start in summer too.