Boerne tree service pros
Tree Pruning In Boerne, TX
When is the best time to prune trees? Pruning a tree "whenever you feel like it" is a good way to cause it serious damage and even death. Instead, you should familiarize yourself with the exact time of year when pruning oak trees is most prudent. While it certainly depends from area to area, there are general guidelines to follow whether you are a professional or simply a caring tree owner.
Here's a general rule that you should consider gospel when pruning trees: the colder, the better. Like many animals (and even humans, in a sense), trees go dormant during the winter and wake around the start of spring.
TREE PRUNING IN BOERNE, TEXAS
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The reasons why you would want to prune trees ahead of spring are numerous. For starters, a tree that isn't 'awake' suffers considerably less stress than one that is alive and growing. As helpful as pruning might be, it's still a very stressful activity for the tree, meaning you should take steps to alleviate its pain. A stressed-out tree has less chances of handling its branches being chopped off and isn't going to repair itself as successfully when the time comes.
Furthermore, trees are most vital around the start of spring (and indeed, throughout its duration). Pruning during the winter means you're pruning ahead of a tree's peak period of vitality – repairs will be much easier even in cases of more serious damage.
And did we mention leaves? As beautiful as they are, they can make pruning nearly impossible – that is to say, you can still prune, but you'll probably cut off a lot more than you're supposed to. Ideally, pruning – especially when done by the property owners themselves – should be done only after all the leaves have fallen off.
TREE PRUNING BOERNE, TX
But it's not just the trees themselves you should keep an eye on before pruning. Pests are a major enemy of trees year-round – there's no shortage of ways through which insects can damage a tree, from simple infestation to carrying a host of bacteria and fungi with them. Insects are a multi-layered threat to the tree, one that should never be underestimated by those wanting to have strong and long-lived oaks that will be the subject of everyone's admiration.
It just so happens that these insects dislike cold every bit as much as trees do, meaning that they'll go dormant around the start of winter and remain largely inactive until the spring. Therefore, pruning during the winter will greatly reduce the chances of insects capitalizing on a tree's increased vulnerability brought about by the various cuts.
As if you needed even more reasons to prune your oak trees during the winter, consider the fact that trees will leak sap when cut during the spring or even summer. Sap is the fluid that gives them life and allows them to regenerate in amazing ways, but it's also a favorite food of insects who will flock to the site of injury to feast. Therefore, pruning a tree during spring and having it leak sap all but guarantees pests will come infesting the tree or bringing bacteria and fungi. An infected tree or one ridden with pests is a nightmare to deal with and very often needs to be brought down altogether, so it's in your best interest to lower the chances of your oaks getting this way.
BEST TIME TO PRUNE TREE IN BOERNE
These days, it seems you can't count on winter being winter anymore, so you'll have to utilize your best judgement when deciding on the optimal pruning time.
We mentioned it's not so much about the season as it is about cold: keep an eye out for warm winters and don't grab the shears if you aren't forced to wear a coat. Excessive warmth during the winter can cause a tree to come alive ahead of time and therefore make pruning highly inadvisable.
In general, pruning is best done anywhere from late October to the start of April. Here's where individual weather conditions come into play: you could have a warm March or even February, which is why pruning is best scheduled before the new year. If your scheduled pruning has been interrupted by a warm stretch, you'll have no choice but to wait for cold days no matter how wide your oak trees have grown.
WHEN IS WINTER REALLY WINTER?
Unfortunately, we can't always prune during the optimal time of year. Sometimes, trees will sustain damage that will warrant pruning ahead of time, and in certain cases even during spring. This impromptu trimming can be brought about by branches being separated due to a storm, an unexpected infection or infestation and other things of similar nature. You'll have to be especially careful with these pruning jobs – a single wrong move can start off a chain reaction that will spell the end of your tree.
If you're pruning ahead of time, make absolutely sure to use sharp, clean and rust-free tools, as your tree will be at its peak vulnerability to damage. Make sure to cut off no more than 15-25% of an individual branch and pay special attention to leaves obstructing your view as mentioned earlier.
While we feel obliged to extend these guidelines, we urge you not to prune a tree out of dormancy on your own – there is simply too much that can go wrong, and there's a very real chance that you will regret ever grabbing the shears. Instead, get in touch with us and we'll happily prune your tree no matter the season, taking individual conditions into account and working in accordance with the weather.
With Boerne Tree Service Pros taking care of your emergency pruning, you won't have to worry about damage being done to the tree and you'll know that it's getting the best possible care. But why limit your trees to getting the royal treatment only during emergencies? If you'd really like them to shine, have us do the pruning year-round and enjoy oak trees that stand as an example of health and vigor. Since it takes a very long time for an oak tree to reach its full glory but only a short amount of time for it to wither and die, professional care should be a given instead of an optional consideration.