Should you have your trees pruned during the summer? It depends on a lot of different factors. Some trees can benefit from summer pruning, while for others, it can do more harm than good. Pruning services in Waterloo can offer some specific guidance on pruning trees in the summer, but here is some general advice.
What Types of Pruning Can You Do in the Summer?
The type of pruning that you do makes a difference in when you can do it. For example, if all you want to do is remove limbs from your tree that is already broken or dead, you can do this at any time. The benefits of this are similar to the benefits of cutting down trees that have died. If you’re planning on pruning back limbs that are still alive, the general advice is to do this while the trees are dormant during the winter. However, depending on the type of tree, there are situations when this would be appropriate during the summer.
What Types of Trees Can Benefit From Summer Pruning?
Some trees, such as birch, maple, and walnut trees, are known for producing a lot of sap. While the general advice is to prune trees during their dormant period, if you were to prune these types of trees during the winter or early spring, the sap can ooze from the wounds made from pruning. This looks terrible and creates a big mess. If you prune these trees during the summer, they do not produce as much sap.
If you have fruit trees on your property and are hoping to yield a big harvest from them, summer is actually the recommended time to have them pruned. Thinning fruits and blooms as they are set not only helps to improve productivity but also the quality of the fruits produced.
What Types of Trees Should You Avoid Pruning in the Summer?
When a tree is pruned, wounds are left behind. Insects are attracted to these fresh wounds, and they may carry fungal spores that can spread disease to the tree. Therefore, you should avoid pruning trees that are particularly susceptible to disease during the summer. These include elm trees, which are vulnerable to Dutch elm disease, and oak trees, which can contract oak wilt. These diseases are common and often fatal to the tree, so these trees need to be protected from potential infection.
What Are Some Tips for Pruning Trees in Summer?
If you prune trees in the summer, try to keep them on a small scale. Do minor cuts that do not exceed one inch in diameter. If you need to do a large-scale pruning job, hold off on it until the tree’s dormant season. The reason for this is that summer pruning cuts down on the number of leaves, affecting the tree’s ability to collect food. This can result in less growth the following year. Of course, if your tree is overgrown, pruning to reduce the growth can be done strategically, but if this isn’t your concern, you should be careful of it.
If you feel that you have to prune your tree now but are worried about it potentially contracting disease, you can protect it by using latex paint to cover the wounds left behind after the cuts are complete. This makes it less likely that insects will be attracted to the wounds.
Professional Pruning Service in Waterloo from Martin’s Tree Service
Done correctly, pruning can benefit your trees in many ways. However, incorrect pruning can put them at risk. Your trees are too valuable to put them in danger with improper pruning, so when looking for a tree pruning service near me, look no further than Martin’s Tree Service.
Steve Martin
