Learn / Ask The Landscape Professional
Is it safe to prune trees in Winter?
Answer
Winter is the time for Care and Caution
Most trees can be pruned year around but it's best to prune now
when trees are dormant (especially apple and pear trees). There are
lots of good reasons to prune now. In the winter the chance of bacterial
and fungal diseases or insect damage is much lower and it's easier for a
tree to recover from pruning.When a tree's leaves are gone, it is easier
for the arborist to see flaws, rubbing branches, overall growth patterns
and the tree's structure.
As far as apple and pear trees are concerned, now is the perfect time to
prune because the chilling requirements for these trees have been met.
This means that the trees have been at a temperature below 45 degrees
for at least a month so that they have sufficiently translocated their
energy stores down into the roots; basically these trees need to be fully
dormant for pruning. Call us - we have a fully trained staff, expert fruit
tree pruners and licensed arborist.
Only use a CT Licensed Arborist to prune-it's Connecticut State
law. Ask to see the license. There is a great deal of damage being
done to trees by so-called professionals who claim to be knowledgeable
but aren't.Years of experience do not add up to correct knowledge and
the rigorous training that an arborist must undergo. Trees damaged by
incorrect pruning may grow back, but they may never recover structurally,
and they may die many years before their time. Call us - we have a fully
trained staff and licensed arborist.
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About Linda Lillie
Linda K. Lillie is the President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc, the premier
landscape design and maintenance, tree care, lawn care, stonework, and carpentry
service provider in southeastern Connecticut since 1997. She is a graduate of
Connecticut College in Botany, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national
award winning landscape designer for her landscape design and landscape installation work.
