Did you know that the best time of year to prune your landscape trees is in the middle of winter?
Almost every species of tree (except for those in the tropics) goes through what is called a dormancy period during the fall and winter seasons. Some even have a short period of dormancy during the hot summers, such as those here in the Sonoran Desert. However, most people tend to prune their trees in the spring and summer, when yard care is on the mind and our landscapes are bursting with growth, without understanding the potential stress or even damage they may be causing by choosing such a time to prune their trees.
Pruning your landscape trees in the spring not only takes away vital storage capacity, leaving the root-to-canopy ratio out of balance, but it also forces the roots to send out even more stored energy to make up for the loss in photosynthetic ability, to create more new foliage for new and balanced photosynthetic capacity to be formed once again, rebalancing the root-to-canopy ratio.
Knowing the right time to prune, and conversely how much and what to prune when not in the ideal season, is crucial to maintaining the health and vigor of your landscape trees while a whole host of potential diseases and insects begin to flourish again, with the warmer and more humid weather conditions.
While more sap flow in spring and the beginnings of summer may help speed up the healing process after a wound has been created, the amount of pathogens and insects present during this time is so prevalent that the odds of introducing an infection are increased dramatically if improper pruning techniques are employed.
Rest assured we can offer both the guidance and services needed to handle any issues your landscape trees may have.
Thanks for reading and have a happy new year!
- Jordan Hilliard, Owner
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