Winter Pruning

You may not think your yard needs much attention during the cold months. However, there are some important and beneficial yard maintenance tasks that are ideal during the winter season. Tree pruning is a lawn care responsibility that you should tackle before the temperature warms up.

Why the winter for tree pruning? There are several good reasons to prune trees in winter. First, the branches and tree structure is most visible in the winter since the foliage has fallen off. Second, dormant winter trees mean that you will not have bleeding sap when you cut or prune your tree. Lastly, winter pruning greatly reduces the risk of exposing a tree to disease. Oak trees are an example. Oaks need to be pruned in winter because they emit an odor that attracts beetles when freshly cut. These beetles often cause serious tree disease called oak wilt. Winter Oak pruning is ideal when beetles are hibernating.

It is very important that you follow a few rules when you decide to prune your trees. Cutting back main branches to stubs or “topping” trees is not as effective as it may seem. Often the limbs will grow back even higher than before and they can also be weaker. Gradual pruning is best to protect the health of your tree. A lawn care professional, such as Panonne’s Lawn Pros & Landscaping can help you with winter tree pruning. We can not only help you determine which trees are best to prune in the winter, but a professional can also ensure the proper technique and pruning method is used for your specific trees or shrubs.