When is the best time to prune trees?

Winter is the best time to prune your trees!

Have you ever noticed your trees in the wintertime? Probably not! Most people only pay attention to their trees when the leaves start to emerge or when the leaves start to change color. Do you know when the best time is to prune your beautiful trees? You guessed right! In the winter!

Trees go dormant in the winter months which means their growth cycle as well as their developmental and physical activity slows. Trees do this to help conserve energy through the long winter months. Since there are no leaves, the tree also slows down its sugar uptake which is usually used to conduct photosynthesis. By pruning limbs in the cold months the tree can redirect most of its energy to healing over the wound created by pruning cuts.

Pruning in the summer months can lead to the tree bleeding unsightly sap from pruning wounds as well as unnecessary stress caused to the tree. Trees that are stressed are more susceptible to diseases as well as leaf loss. You never want your tree to lose its leaves in the hot summer months because this can lead to sun scorch as well as dead limbs that are unsightly as well as unsafe.  

We recommend pruning trees when the temperature drops below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature guideline helps reduce the spread of unwanted diseases to your healthy trees as well as unwanted stress. Most beetles that spread diseases stop moving around the 45 degree mark and thats when we like to get into the trees! Our goal is to provide you with great service as well as keeping your trees healthy through the whole process.

It’s also much easier to visually see the branch structure when the leaves are no longer on the tree.  This helps you, the home owner, see exactly what we plan to do while pruning and accessing the canopy of your tree. If you have any questions about the best time for pruning your tree please contact us here!