Pruning Seasons and When to Do It

Pruning is a necessary and important garden task that affects the health, appearance, and growth of trees and shrubs. It is a skill that can be learned, and one that many homeowners and professional growers practice. The time of year that pruning is done, however, can have a large impact on how the plant responds to the cut and its ability to heal and thrive in the future.

For most routine pruning, it is best to prune plants while they are dormant. By doing this, the plant will be able to quickly recover from the pruning wound and focus all of its energy into producing new growth next season. Dormant pruning also helps to avoid a number of physiological and disease issues that can be initiated when a tree is being pruned during the growing season, including poor wound closure, delayed growth and flowering, and increased susceptibility to disease at the site of open pruning cuts.

It is important to note that removing dead branches from any plant at any time of the year is crucial for maintaining plant health. This is especially true when pruning deciduous trees. Dead limbs are a hazard to pedestrians and may fall onto homes or vehicles. They can also cause damage to the root system and lead to rot in the ground or upper crown of the tree.

Depending on the species, vigor, and location of the tree, winter or early spring is often the preferred time to prune for shape and to remove any dead branches that have incurred damage during the winter. This is due to the fact that it is easier to see the overall shape of a tree without its leaves in place. However, vigorous spring growth can easily overtake and unbalance a tree that has been carefully shaped in the winter.

For hedges, shearing in the late winter and into early spring is a good time to prune them more drastically to keep their size under control. This also allows the shears to be more effective in preventing the re-growth of stubs from previous shearings. It is also a good idea to shear hedges in the summer to help keep them from becoming too thick and dense.

New or young trees and plants are usually pruned and trained at the nursery to help them establish strong, healthy frameworks and a beautiful, balanced appearance in the landscape. This formative pruning helps minimize the amount of maintenance work required later on, and can significantly decrease the cost of landscaping in the long run.

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