Pruning Oak Trees: When and How Often

So we’ve heard about a thousand various reasons why and when pruning oak trees is okay. Let us set the record straight since it’s straightforward. When you cut a tree, when pruning it, the wound will ooze sap. Insects love sap. An insect, usually a beetle that can’t chew, will smell the sap and run to feed. At the same time, oak wilt will also create a mat under the bark, and it will push the bark open and show itself.

Work On An Oak Tree In The Wintertime.

The best way to halt the spread of the spore is to do it when there is a very slim chance of any insect feeding on the sap in the dead of winter. When the frost hits the ground, many insects are frozen to death or under the frost line.

Pruning oak trees is best done by an arborist who knows to do it in the winter months (November – April). This help to stop oak wilt disease, a general issue that is very hard to stop once it has begun. Oak wilt happens when a tree is most susceptible in its growing season. It is carried by insects that spread the fungal disease and get into the wounds in the bark.

If you have an oak tree that has been harmed in a storm and you have no alternative but to get rid of a few pieces in the warmer months, this is only when you will hear me suggest a sealer.

Sealers

Wound sealers are harmful to trees, regardless the manufacturer claims. It hurts a tree’s natural ability to take care for itself. It will mess up the means of closing the wound, many times creating a pocket.

Major pruning for upper and large branches might be better left to a Rochester arborist who specializes in tree care services. These jobs need specialized experience, tools, and skills such as tree climbing.

Ladders shouldn’t be used for tree pruning. For branches or huge trees situated near power sources, contact a tree contractor for a quote.