Pruning your trees is necessary for their health and beauty, but timing is key. While you can prune year-round, certain seasons are better suited for specific types of pruning. Knowing when the best time to prune is ensures your trees thrive without causing damage or affecting their appearance.
Here’s a guide to the best times to prune trees in Southeast MA, and how to achieve your tree care goals throughout the year.
WARNING: No matter when you decide to prune, you must do it correctly. Ensure the company you hire always follow the best practices for tree pruning.
Key Takeaways
- Pruning during dormancy minimizes stress to trees, reduces the risk of spreading pests and diseases, and makes the process more efficient.
- Removing dead or weak branches in winter helps protect your property from damage caused by Nor’easters and heavy snow.
- Spring pruning is best for ornamentals after they bloom, summer allows for shaping while fully leafed out, and fall is for removing deadwood only.
- Pruning fruit trees in winter promotes better yields and healthier trees in the following growing season.
- An experienced team like Regal Tree can tailor pruning to your tree’s needs year-round, ensuring optimal growth and health.
Winter is the Best Time to Prune in Greater South Easton
Winter is the perfect time to do significant pruning on your trees. Dormant trees make for more efficient pruning. Some of the types of pruning we recommend in the winter include:
- Structural Pruning: Removing branches to favor a single leader.
- Deadwooding: Pruning dead, diseased, or broken branches.
- Crown Thinning: Removing branches that are crowding the canopy.
Winter Tree Pruning Benefits
Pruning in the winter provides several benefits to homeowners, including:
- A more open schedule: Tree care companies typically have less business in the winter, making scheduling a service easier and quicker. Some companies even offer deals for winter pruning.
- Less stress to your trees: Pruning, even when done correctly, causes stress to trees. During the winter, tree pruning causes the least amount of stress and also gives a tree time to heal the wound before pests and diseases reemerge in the spring.
- Lower risk of spreading diseases: Most insects and diseases are dormant or dead in the winter. Winter pruning limits the risk of an attack from an invasive insect or a disease infecting your tree.
- Lower risk of damage from Nor’easters: Nor’easters are an unfortunate part of living in Massachusetts. The damage they bring can uproot trees and send branches flying. Pruning dead or weak branches can protect your property from Nor’easter damage.
- More efficient pruning: The lack of leaves makes pruning faster for a tree care team. The frozen ground also allows us to use heavy equipment without disturbing your yard.
- Better fruit production next year: Many homeowners with fruit trees never know when to prune them. The University of Massachusetts recommends pruning fruit trees in the winter because it will help you get better production in the following season.
PRO TIP: Want to learn more about the problems trees face in the winter? Read our previous article on winter tree damage in Massachusetts.
Don’t Neglect Pruning in Other Seasons
Winter may be the best time to prune in Massachusetts, but it isn’t the only time to do it. Pruning is a year-round service, with other seasons serving different needs for trees.
Spring is the Perfect Time to Prune Ornamentals
Avoid pruning spring-flowering ornamental trees in the winter. Winter pruning will remove the buds, resulting in a tree that lacks beautiful blooms in the spring.
Instead, save your pruning for the spring as soon as they finish blooming. Spring-flowering trees are any that flower before May (though shifting climates may cause this date to change).
Spring pruning of ornamentals promotes better growth, color, and structure. Some of the trees to consider pruning in the spring include:
- Dogwood
- Forsythia
- Rhododendron
- Flowering cherry
- Witch hazel
Summer Pruning Allows You to See a Tree Fully Leafed Out
In the summer, you’ll see a complete picture of your tree’s canopy. Fully leafed out, you can make plans to alter its structure. Some of the goals of summer pruning include:
- Improving a tree’s shape
- Raising the tree canopy by removing low branches
- Clearing the canopy to allow for more light penetration and air circulation
- Removing dead, dying, or diseased branches · Improving air resistance to lower the risk of summer storm damage
- Trimming back unkempt growth or large canopies
Use caution when pruning a tree in the summer. Summer is the season when insects and diseases are most active. The wounds from pruning can act as entry points for insect and disease attacks. Always consult an arborist before doing any summer pruning.
Remove Dead and Weak Branches in the Fall
Fall is a season to avoid most pruning. In response to the stress pruning causes, trees put out new growth. These new shoots are often quite weak and need time to develop. However, in the fall, they won’t have adequate time to harden off before winter sets in. Instead, the cold weather will likely kill the shoots, causing more stress and wasted energy from your tree.
Save substantial pruning for later in the winter, when trees are dormant and better able to handle the stress. In the fall, only perform light pruning to remove dead, dying, or damaged branches. This ensures your trees are prepared for winter storms, reducing the risk of branches breaking under heavy snow or ice.
Regal Tree Can Assist with All Your Pruning Needs
Proper tree pruning requires skill, experience, and the right tools to ensure your trees stay healthy and strong. At Regal Tree, we understand the unique needs of trees in every season, from winter structural pruning to targeted care during the growing months.
Trust our team to handle all your pruning needs in Greater South Easton. Call us today at 774-719-2450 or request a quote online to keep your trees in top shape year-round!
