It’s generally advisable that you avoid pruning your trees early in the winter. But that doesn’t mean the entire season is best avoided when it comes to tree pruning and care in Baton Rouge, LA.
For trees and shrubs that bloom on new growth, you would ideally prune them in the late winter or early spring. Meanwhile, trees and shrubs that bloom on old growth are best pruned after their flowers fade away in late spring or during the summer.
Here are some wintertime tree pruning tips for you to consider:
- Choose the right conditions: It’s generally best to get your pruning done in a day that’s relatively mild and dry. This will make it a more pleasant experience and also help you avoid spreading waterborne diseases or causing damage to the trees from cold temperatures.
- Prune at the right time: Always avoid pruning too early in the winter. Should you begin too soon, it will result in the incisions drying out as the temperatures drop below freezing. Wait instead for later in the winter, when spring has almost arrived.
- Prioritize dead or damaged branches: Any time you prune, you should make it your first priority to deal with dead or diseased branches, especially if any of them were a result of the snow and ice that built up during the winter. Broken branches should also be removed properly to prevent the breaks from getting further damaged or infected.
- Dealing with unwanted branches: When pruning to remove unwanted branches, make sure you wait until the late winter to get this done.
- Know how to shape the tree: Whenever pruning, it’s important to do so with a goal in mind for the tree’s shape. Make sure you keep the branches that will maintain the tree’s structure and shape, and those that have promise to develop well. You can focus on removing overgrown or smaller branches to increase airflow at the tree’s crown, as well as to provide greater light exposure for the rest of the tree.
- Know how to deal with your type of tree: There are some types of trees that should never be pruned during the winter, specifically those that flower in the spring. Dogwood trees, magnolias, pears, cherries, redbuds and other spring-flowering trees should all be pruned only after they flower so they can grow back in time to flower again in the next season. However, evergreen shrubs and trees, as well as shade trees like oak, maple, sweetgum and hornbeam trees, can all be pruned in the late winter or early spring. The exception for evergreen trees is pines, which should be pruned in early June to early July. Otherwise, spruces, firs, yews, holly and boxwoods should all be pruned in late winter or early spring while still dormant, before new growth begins.
For more tips and information about winter tree pruning in Baton Rouge, LA, we encourage you to contact Allan’s Tree Service with any questions you have for our team of tree care professionals. We look forward to working with you.
Categorised in: Tree Pruning
This post was written by Allan's