Why does nobody talk about how much easier it is to prune a maple in late winter vs fall?

2 comments

2 Comments

Fall pruning just opens the tree up to winter dieback on fresh cuts if you get a hard freeze. Late winter means the sap hasn't started moving yet but the worst cold is over. Plus fall pruning messes with the tree's natural cycle of storing energy for the dormant season. Better to let it go fully dormant before making any big cuts.

roberts.jordan22d ago

Ha, I wish I knew all this before I went full lumberjack on my maple tree last October. That thing looked like a zombie after the first freeze. Guess I learned the hard way.