Trimming trees is not as easy as it seems.
You could lop off branches as they get in your way, but that can damage your tree.
There is a good time--and a wrong time--to prune trees. Depending on your type of tree, knowing when and how to prune correctly is critical to the health of your tree.
Today we'll talk about the best time of year to trim trees. With regular pruning, you'll avoid tree or property damage.
Why Pruning Is Important
Pruning helps keep healthy trees healthy. You can also use pruning to help encourage a sick or damaged tree back to health.
When pruning to maintain or improve your tree's health:
- Remove dying, diseased, or dead limbs.
- Remove suckers toward the base of the tree.
- Remove thick foliage at the canopy to allow light and water through to the roots.
Most trees don't need significant pruning every year. Depending on your type of trees, regular pruning takes place every two to five years.
However, if your tree shows signs of distress, or you need to protect your house or other property from limbs, minimize how much you trim if it's off-season.
The Wrong Season to Prune
For most types of trees, summer is the wrong time of year for pruning.
Summer is often hard on trees. Hot weather and less frequent rain make it difficult for trees to stay healthy. Healthy trees heal properly.
Remember, trees are living organisms. While pruning is good for your trees, pruning the wrong way or at the wrong time of year can cause stress on your trees.
Summer conditions can worsen the effects of a significant tree pruning operation. Unless it's an emergency to cut back your tree during summer months, hold off until the fall.
Is it Ever Okay to Prune in Summer?
Summer presents one excellent perk when trimming tree limbs. It's easy to see which limbs are dead.
By the summer months, your tree should be full of healthy leaves. Dead or dying limbs stand out.
If it makes sense to trim a few dead limbs in the summer for safety or to help sunlight get through to healthy limbs, it's okay to trim these few limbs.
The Best Seasons to Prune
The best months for tree pruning are late fall (early winter) through the early spring months.
During these months, your trees go into a dormant stage. Growth slows or stops, allowing better conditions for your trees to recover from pruning.
Target pruning to take place before leaves and new growth begins. When trees are growing new limbs and leaves in the late spring, they need to put sunlight and nutrients to use supporting new growth.
If you prune trees while they grow, you can damage the health of your trees. They are trying to grow while also trying to heal from pruning. It can stretch your tree's resources too thin.
Beware the Fall Months
While we don't want you to stress about the exact day or week to prune each year, beware how early or late you prune in the fall. We'll talk next about the type of trees to trim in the fall.
However, the best indication of fall or early winter timing for pruning is to watch your trees. When they appear dormant, it's safe to prune.
Winter also provides more solid ground due to the colder temps. It's often safer to prune when the ground is more steady and before the temps get too cold.
Consider Your Type of Tree
Within the range of late fall to early spring, consider your types of trees to know which seasons to prune trees.
From early blooming trees to late blooming trees, when you prune affects how your tree grows and if you'll see blooms this year.
Early Blooming Trees
Trees that bloom early in the year experience most of their growth later in the year.
You might have some of these early blooming trees the Northern Virginia area:
- Flowering Cherry
- Magnolia
- Flowering Plum
- Redbud
- Serviceberry
If you have these trees (or others) that bloom in first spring months (February, March, or April), save your pruning until after they bloom. Pruning them over the winter will trim away the blooms before they have a chance to appear in the spring.
Be sure you don't wait too long to trim after the trees bloom. You'll want to trim before the summer months.
Late Blooming Trees
These trees bloom late in the spring or early summer months. They bloom based on the growth they experience in the early months of the year (January, February, and March).
You'll see these types of trees blooming after early spring trees bloom:
- Crape myrtle
- Dogwood
- Crabapple
- American Linden
- Goldenrain Tree
- Japanese Snowbell
Let these trees bloom, then wait to trim in the fall. Trimming them in the early spring prevents their blooms from appearing until the following year.
What About Trees With No Blooms?
Some trees don't bloom! How do you know when to prune?
Save these trees for pruning during winter. That's the safest time to know trees like pines or oaks are fully dormant and ready for trimming.
Know the Best Time of Year to Trim Trees and Stay Safe!
Follow these tree trimming tips to know the best time of year to trim trees. You'll help the health of your trees, plus you'll stay safer when trimming.
For regular trimming or significant tree trimming jobs, make sure you trust professionals. They have the best tools for the job and the proper training.
Never attempt to trim tree branches around power lines at a great height. You can damage your tree (and yourself) when attempting dangerous pruning on your own.
Green Tops knows the trees in the area and the best seasons for pruning! We have almost three decades of experience, from routine trimming to emergency removals. Contact us today for a free estimate!