When is the best time of year to prune trees?

When is the best time of year to prune your trees?

Now that summer is in full swing, your trees should be looking healthy and strong, but when autumn comes around and the leaves start browning and dropping you may think it would be a good time to trim/prune your trees whilst doing your autumn garden clean-up. However, we're here to tell you why that might not be the best idea.

When is the best time to prune trees?

The best time to prune your branches is between the changing leaves in late autumn and the blooms in spring.

Typically a tree's pruning cycle is 3-5 years, but type, size, and health are all variables.

Why late autumn to early spring?

In autumn and winter trees enter a dormant stage, halting their growth. The inactivity and low temperatures are ideal for pruning, as pruning after new growth has started can limit growth potential for that year.

Benefits of pruning at this time:

• Pruning trees in the dormant season promotes trees' health and future growth
• Saves time and money by helping with disease management

Here are some examples of when different trees should be pruned:

• Narrow-leaved evergreens - late winter or early spring
• Broad-leaved evergreens - late winter or early spring
• most Deciduous trees - February, March & the first part of April
• Oak Tree - February or March
• Deciduous shrubs - between February & April
• Old, large & overgrown shrubs - late February to early April
• Summer-flowering shrubs - February, March, or April

If you need any help pruning your own trees, please don't hesitate to contact us.