My uncle's trick for pruning oaks in summer saved me from a fine

He told me to only cut branches under 2 inches thick when the tree is leafed out, anything bigger wait for winter. Last July I had a big limb split on a job in Austin and followed his rule, the tree healed way faster than I expected. Anybody else got seasonal pruning rules they swear by?

2 comments

2 Comments

robinson.quinn1mo agoMost Upvoted

The 2 inch rule has saved me more times than I can count... you gotta be careful though because even small cuts in summer can stress the tree if it's already struggling from drought. I always make sure to water deep the day before if we haven't had rain in a while, really helps the tree handle the shock. Mulching around the base after a summer prune seems to speed up recovery too, keeps the roots cool while it's trying to heal.

the_kim1mo ago

Oh man, is it really that serious? I mean, I've made way bigger cuts in summer than 2 inches and the tree was fine, maybe it's just me but I feel like people overthink this stuff.