In summer, healthy trees can start sealing off wounds from pruning cuts while continuing to put out leaves and make energy from sunlight. But if the tree is struggling with heat stress, summer pruning may be too damaging. The best time to prune is in early summer before temperatures have reached their peak.
A summertime shape up is healthy for people and trees alike. Although the best time to prune any plant is typically in its dormant phase, trees will benefit from a nice mid-season trim as well. Summer trims can cut down on the amount of pruning you'd have to do later in the year.
Avoid pruning during the blooming season (spring and summer) to preserve next year's bloom. Instead, prune in early spring or fall after it is at least three years old. Remove 50 to 75 percent of the top foliage to promote health and minimize diseases.
Generally, the best time to prune or trim trees and shrubs is during the winter months. From November through March, most trees are dormant which makes it the ideal time for the following reasons: Trees are less susceptible to insects or disease.
Few plants are pruned this time of year because pruning encourages new growth that does not have time to harden off before winter. Late-season pruning typically does more harm than good.
Summer is an excellent time for restorative pruning. You can correct problems that have resulted from over-pruning or poor pruning. You can also clean up damage from winter and spring storms. Proper pruning will begin to restore most plants' natural shape.
April, May and June are not good months to prune because deciduous trees need to use their stored energy to produce new leaves instead of healing wounds. Also, pruning during warmer spring months encourages the spread of diseases such as Oak Wilt and damage by pests such as Emerald Ash Borer.
Pruning during the growing season always stimulates new growth. During summer's heat, having to produce that ill-timed new flush of growth greatly stresses a tree. Pruning in the fall is even worse as it prevents the tree from going into a natural dormancy. The exception is heavily damaged, disease or dead wood.
An improper cut like a flush cut (cutting too close to the trunk) or a stub cut (cutting too far from the trunk) can cause irreversible damage to a tree. A flush cut removes the branch collar and leaves a large wound in the side of the tree that won't heal properly.
Summer pruning is best done in August-September, when the majority of branches have set a terminal bud.
Plants that bloom on old wood (last year's growth) are pruned after flowering so as not to remove flower buds with a winter pruning. Hedges also require additional shaping in early summer, and fruits need a little training.
But there are some exceptions. The following types of trees require summer tree care and trimming: Maple trees. Birch tree.
August is an excellent month for pruning many shrubs and trees in the landscape, just ahead of the fall growth spurt. It's also a perfect time for pruning backyard fruit trees for size control. Removing excess growth now instead of waiting until January will help keep fruit trees smaller.
Municipalities and homeowners often remove the lower limbs for pedestrian and vehicular clearance or to let the sun shine in for grass to grow. Mature trees, especially evergreens, benefit when healthy lower branches are left intact. Removing large limbs can increase the risk of decay.
ALWAYS prune back to or just above a growing point (branch or bud) or to the soil line. NEVER leave a stem or branch stub. NEVER top a tree to “rejuvenate” growth.
Leaves the crown open to wind damage and sun scald, and. Increases reaction, or stress-response, growth sprouts (“watersprouts”) along the trunk and branches. These reaction sprouts are a sign of over-pruning – the tree is putting out new growth quickly in an attempt to generate energy through photosynthesis.
Damage caused by pruning
When improperly performed, pruning can harm the tree's health, stability, and appearance. Several consequences occur when pruning is not performed at all. These include development of low aggressive limbs, weak codominant stems, bark inclusions, and accumulation of dead branches.
Besides the roots and the trunk, the leaves and branches are vital to the plant's survival. If you cut the tree in half, it will stay a stump given that there is no nutrient manufacture, causing the entire system to starve.
Without leaves, the cut tree cannot produce food for the growth of its roots. However, the roots might have enough nutrients left to allow the growth of sprouts from the roots or from the leftover stump. If a sprout develops enough leaves, it can eventually grow back into a tree.
While some plants need a heftier prune than others, in general, the golden rule is to trim no more than 15 to 20 percent of a tree's canopy at one time. Keep that in mind for next time. Let's focus on the now. If your plant was already pruned too much, use this step-by-step guide to fix the damage.
After a tree is topped, it grows back rapidly in an attempt to replace its missing leaves. Leaves are needed to manufacture food for the tree. Without new leaves, the tree will die. The new branches that sprout up below the cuts will continue to grow quickly until they reach the same size it was before it was topped.
Crown reduction pruning is the preferred method to reduce the size or height of the crown of a tree, but is rarely needed and should be used infrequently. Topping, the pruning of large upright branches between nodes, is sometimes done to reduce the height of a tree (Fig.
Proper pruning encourages strong growth, increases flower and fruit production, improves plant health, and removes damaged limbs, all which give aesthetic appeal to a tree. Pruning at the right time and in the right way is critical, since it is possible to kill a healthy tree through neglect or over-pruning.