During summer, fruiting and flowering trees should be thriving. And although summer is not the time to trim your fruiting and flowering trees (winter is best), it is an ideal time to have our certified arborists evaluate your trees for pruning, and identify potential pests or disease.
With leaves present, we will be able to fully assess the overall health of your trees and make recommendations for future care, including pruning, fertilization and ongoing maintenance.
What is the right time to prune my fruiting and flowering trees?
The timeframe to properly trim your fruiting and flowering trees is during the winter months. This includes fruit trees such as apple, crabapple and pear.
Benefits of tree trimming during winter dormancy include:
- Less stress on trees. Research shows that trimming before buds break in the spring provides the best timing for healing and wound closure, encouraging healthy, new growth in the spring and throughout the summer season.
- Avoiding the spread of disease. The bacteria and insects that spread disease are usually dormant during the winter months. Winter trimming gives your trees time to heal before warmer months when destructive pests and diseases re-emerge.
Waiting to prune when fruit and leaves are present can create a number of problems, including slowed fruit ripening, unhealthy growth, and undue stress that can make your tree vulnerable to pests and disease.
Winter tree pruning also takes into account the life cycle of harmful bacteria (like fire blight) and insects that spread serious disease. By trimming during winter dormancy, you can avoid spreading tree diseases that are active during the spring and summer growing season.
How can I tell if my tree is stressed or diseased?
When trees are diseased, they can start showing any number of symptoms. Trees that are stressed or have suffered damage may display some of the following signs:
- leaf buds that haven’t swollen or opened by spring
- crackled and flaking bark
- browning or blackening of damaged tissue
- shriveled and discolored leaves
- dead or dying branches
Our certified arborists can work with you to identify specific problems and determine the best course of action.
How does scheduling my winter tree project work?
Our certified arborists will thoroughly evaluate your trees now, and provide you with an electronic proposal for services. When you accept the proposal within 60 days, it simply puts you into our queue of winter projects to be completed between the months of January and March. We will reach out to you with a project date when that time gets closer. You will not be charged until our services have been completed.
