Tag pruning

Research into the best way to care for trees is constantly being conducted, and it is critical to keep up-to-date on the best practices. Traditionally, the general rule has been that fall and winter are the best times to trim trees, but new research has shown that this is not always the case. Trimming a tree during the peak growing season (generally spring or early summer) means that the tree has more energy to devote to healing cuts made while pruning. When cuts are made during dormant periods, trees are unable to heal as efficiently and completely, and there is a greater chance that decay, disease, and insects will be able to prey on the exposed wood before healing can begin in the next growing season. However, it may still be the best practice to trim certain trees during dormant periods if there are specific disease or insect considerations, or fruiting/flowering is desired.

What to Consider When Trimming a Tree

• Why is the tree being trimmed?

  • Is this just maintenance pruning, or is there a specific objective?

• Is the tree healthy?

  • Sick or stressed trees need extra care, and should not be trimmed as aggressively as healthy ones.

• What kind of tree is it?

  • Certain species of tree handle the stress of trimming better than others, and different kinds of trees sometimes have different yearly growth patterns.

• Are there active diseases/pests in the area?

  • Many tree diseases have cycles of infection risk throughout the year.

  • Insects have periods of higher activity and dormancy.

• Contact an ISA Certified Arborist to assess your trees before trimming.

  • Local arborists will be aware of area-specific concerns.

Recommended Timing for Tree Trimming

• Winter

  • Fruit trees for production

• Spring

  • Heavy pruning and large limb removal

  • Aesthetic trimming and shaping

  • Structural pruning of young trees

• Early Summer

  • To stimulate food storage

• Late Summer

  • Trees that flower on previous year’s growth

• Fall

  • Older trees that need to increase energy reserves

• Fall/Winter

  • Oak tree trimming in North Texas to avoid oak wilt season

• Special Considerations

  • If a tree has suffered root damage, avoid trimming for at least two years to reduce stress and encourage recovery.

  • Dead, broken, or hazardous limbs should be removed when possible to avoid risk to persons, animals, and structures.

  • Storm- or frost-damaged trees may need remedial pruning out of season.

At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our community! We are committed to staying up-to-date on emerging research in arboriculture, and doing our part to keep North Texans informed about how best to care for their trees. Through continuing education and internal training, our team of ISA Certified Arborists ensure that their advice and guidance is accurate and in keeping with the highest standards of practice. As always, if you wonder when is the best time to trim, or have any other questions about your trees, let us know!

Another installment in our series of posts where Texas Tree Surgeons answers your tree questions. Are you having problems with your trees and want to know what’s wrong? Let us know!

Why is it that my peach trees get loaded with peaches every year, but the peaches only get so big (about the size of a golf ball) and stay that way till they fall off? Can I do anything to help them grow better?

Growing fruit trees in North Texas can be a tricky undertaking. While we don’t have the well-suited conditions of other regions, there are some steps that fruit tree owners can take to help their trees produce the best fruit.

For fruit production, pruning is key

If you have a stone fruit (peach, plum, etc.) tree that is already established and producing fruit, proper pruning can be a big help in managing fruit production.

• Fruit trees naturally produce more fruit than can be sustained, and need a helping hand.
• One way to help fruit mature fully is to remove a portion of the fruits after they begin to grow.
  • For best results, remove the fruit by hand about four weeks after blooming.
  • Leave only one fruit every six to eight inches along a branch.
• As the fruit matures, it is important to manage pests and diseases that can prevent proper growth.
  • Remove any dead or diseased wood or fruit as soon as it appears.
  • Consider fertilizer or pesticide application, and consult a certified arborist for good product recommendations.

Planning ahead for best fruit

Of course, some types of fruit trees are better-suited to our North Texas climate and soil.

• If you are looking to plant a peach tree, or another type of stone fruit, consult this guide from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension program.
• Once you have picked a tree, be sure to plant during the winter dormant season and to prepare the planting site properly.

At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our customers! There may not be many fruit trees in North Texas, but we love helping our community take care of what we have. We are always happy to offer suggestions and guidance in the tree selection and planting process. We offer comprehensive plant health care programs to help control diseases and pests, including organic options. If you have any questions about your fruit trees or any other trees, let us know!

At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our customers, and we hate to see a beautiful crape myrtle topped and turned into a twiggy mess. Even if a crape myrtle has been topped for many years, it can be restored through a simple care program. Proper trimming, combined with allowing new growth to mature, can go a long way toward repairing the damage caused by topping. Fertilization can also help with encouraging healthy growth. Ask a certified arborist to evaluate and make recommendations for your specific trees.

Tree trimming or tree pruning in Texas is generally best when done after temperatures cool off in the fall and before buds begin to grow in the spring. Removal of dead, broken, or damaged limbs can be done anytime. The worst time to trim a tree is in the spring just after it has budded out. The tree will already have used its energy to start new growth, and will not be able to recover from the trimming as well or as quickly. At Texas Tree Surgeons, tree trimming is the most common service we provide, and is essential to maintaining health and safety in our urban forest.

Why is it best to trim trees in the fall and winter?

Trimming trees at the right time is crucial to keeping them healthy. During the fall, the tree’s internal systems begin to slow, as it prepares to go dormant (similar to hibernation in animals). Entering a dormant state helps the tree survive the winter cold, frost, and ice. As the weather cools, the water in tree tissue begins to be converted to starch, which insulates cellular tissue against freezing damage. During this period of dormancy, trees are able to heal the wounds made from pruning before the stressors of spring, like disease and insects, arrive.

Proper trimming is not just a matter of timing, however, but also of technique. Trimming your trees at the proper time in the fall or winter cannot compensate for the damage done through over-trimming, lion-tailing, or topping. Even though a dormant tree can better withstand these damaging types of trimming, the overall health of the tree may be irreparably harmed.

Why is it important to use a company with certified arborists to trim your tree?

Every tree is different. Two trees of the same species planted next to each other may still react differently to their surroundings. Having an ISA Certified Arborist examine your trees before trimming is crucial to ensuring proper care. In a yard with different tree species, there may be a range of trimming needs. A certified arborist can assess each individual tree to make the best recommendations for trimming, taking into account species, environment, disease or pest activity, and the tree’s natural life cycle. Improper trimming at the wrong time of year can cause a tree’s health to decline substantially. A certified arborist’s knowledge of tree biology and trimming best practices leads to the best trimming recommendations for your trees.

Is there a best time to trim a particular species of tree?

While it is generally best for all trees to be trimmed in the fall and winter, it is important to be aware of issues particular to a given species.

Oaks:

• The best time to trim oak trees in Texas is in the fall and winter.
  • It is critical to avoid trimming during oak wilt season (February-July) if at all possible.
  • Live oaks typically do a leaf exchange in late winter so it is better to trim them in late fall or early winter.
• Dead and broken branches can be removed at any time.

Maples:

• The best time to trim maples is fall and winter.
  • Pruning in the early spring can lead to sap leaking from the pruning cuts.
  • Maple trees are one of the few trees that have fall color in Texas so pruning after the leaf drop is usually preferred.

Elms:

• Elms are hardy and native to Texas. They are typically the first to get their leaves and the first to lose their leaves.
  Trimming elms in the fall and in the winter is best to avoid sap leaking.
• Elms are prone to rotting where large pruning cuts are made or poor puts are made so conservative trimming is best.
• In the parts of North America where Dutch elm disease is present, elms should be trimmed before March.

Crape Myrtles:

• Crepe Myrtles produce flowers on each year’s new growth.
  • Trimming in the fall leads to more blossoms in the spring.
  • Trimming in the late spring will reduce the number of flowers the following year.
• For the health of the crape myrtle, the best time to trim is winter.
  • Topping crape myrtles is never a good practice.

Bradford Pears:

• Bradford pears can be safely trimmed at any time.
• Proper structural pruning when needed is very important for Bradford pears because their natural growth patterns often lead to weakness at branch joints.

Fruit Trees:

• Structural pruning for fruit trees should be done in the winter.
• Trimming for fruit production should be done just after bloom in early spring.

At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our customers. In the winter, it can be easy to forget about our trees, as their leaves are gone and we spend less time outside. However, remembering that winter is the best time to trim trees can lead to healthier, more beautiful trees in the summer. We are always happy to come out and assess your trees for their particular trimming needs. When tree trimming must be done out of season, we are able to make sure that best practices are followed to minimize any negative effects. One of our certified arborists can make personalized recommendations based on your trees. Get in touch today!

Another installment in our series of posts where Texas Tree Surgeons answers your tree questions. Are you having problems with your trees and want to know what’s wrong? Let us know!

Dear Texas Tree Surgeons,

A lot of my bushes, especially the red tip photinias, are starting to wilt and have reddish-brown spots on their leaves. What can I do about that?

Red Tip Photinias have long been a staple of North Texas flowerbeds and hedgerows. Hardy and fast-growing, the evergreen shrub can be trimmed to various heights and forms a good privacy barrier with its broad leaves. New growth has red leaves, giving the red tip photinia its name. Unfortunately, red tip photinias are particularly susceptible to leaf spot diseases.

This fungus Entomosporium mespili causes leaf spot on all members of the rose family, including red tip photinias. Starting as a red, brown, or black dot on leaves, the leaf spot expands outward as the fungus grows. Eventually, the red spots turn into a gray area rimmed by red. As the fungus spreads, it disrupts vascular function in the leaves, which eventually fall. The fallen leaves collect moisture at the base of the shrub, increasing fungal growth. As wet conditions continue, the fungus can spread its spores within water droplets, such as splashing from rain or irrigation. Left unaddressed, the fungus will spread throughout the photinias, causing wilting and dieback.

Environmental control

The first line of defense against fungal leaf spot, as with many fungal diseases, is to monitor watering and drainage. Fungi thrive in wet conditions of a moderate temperature, so the spring and fall are when we see the most activity. In periods of wet weather, the clay soil common to much of North Texas can hamper proper drainage, causing the area around the red tip photinias to become waterlogged. This moisture, mixed with the fallen and decaying organic material creates the ideal conditions for fungal growth. Even if the soil drainage cannot be improved, it is important to curtail watering so as not to make the situation worse.

In addition to moisture, the fallen photinia leaves contribute to the growth of the Entomosporium fungus. Keeping the area around the plants clear of debris can help slow fungal progression. In a similar way, dense foliar growth on the interior of the red tip photinias can collect moisture. Where possible, thin out dense areas to allow light and air to circulate. When trimming, make sure to remove any areas already showing leaf spot. Removed material, especially infected leaves, should be buried or disposed of in a plastic bag.

Chemical Control

Fungicides can be used to control Entomosporium leaf spot, but the process can be costly. Furthermore, treatment will be ultimately ineffective if the environmental factors are not eliminated. For valuable hedges, a continuous process of multiple-week treatments in the spring and fall may be recommended. In other situations, it can often be more cost-effective and better in the long-term to remove the affected plants and replace with a less-susceptible species. 

While there is no quick solution for red tip photinia leaf spot, we hope this information can help homeowners mitigate the damage to their shrubs, and decide if treatment or removal might be warranted. At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees (and shrubs! and hedges!) and we love our customers, and we always want to give our community the best, most accurate information regarding their plants. If you would like one of our arborists to come out and see how your photinias, or anything else, are doing, let us know!