For everything there is a season

There is so much thought and intention that goes in to proper pruning. One of the things that must be considered for the long term health of a tree is the time of year in which a tree is pruned. Of course, not all trees are the same in this regard. But generally speaking, it is not good to prune live branches in the Spring because it’s the growth season. The tree will likely respond to Spring pruning cuts by producing water sprouts and/or suckers. Suckers grow from the base of a tree. Water sprouts grow out of the tree itself. Both suckers and water sprouts are a type of epicormic growth, which is a stress response.

Sometimes you don’t have the luxury of waiting until the dormant season to prune your trees. If you have broken branches from storm damage, you probably don’t want to wait months until the dormant season to clean up. But if pruning is being done solely for the health or aesthetics of a tree, be patient and research what time of year is best to prune that specific type of tree.