Especially in the northwest region, pruning in slow growing seasons is ideal. For most landscapes, the majority of necessary pruning can be tackled during the fall and early spring seasons. Simple cut backs, removing dead and diseased limbs, and basic shaping is helpful for keeping landscapes neat and plants healthy. Nevertheless, winter offers some unique pruning opportunities that may provide optimal results for your landscape.
Plant Dormancy
In the winter months, trees are their most dormant. This means that, unlike in other months, deciduous trees are not reliant on photosynthesis. In turn, major tree shaping and drastic pruning can occur without hurting the health of the plant. For larger evergreen trees and shrubs, this provides the perfect opportunity to do significant trimming that may be needed. Often, our crews will use the off-season to perform large pruning jobs like re-shaping bushes that clients may want significantly smaller or encouraging trees to grow in different patterns. Major trimming during the rest of the year would likely damage the plant or result in an unsightly appearance, so the winter months provide the perfect time to conduct such maintenance.
With less foliage in the way, winter pruning provides clearer visibility of branches for more accurate shaping or branch removal. Because of this, the "off season" may be the most optimal time for some gardeners to address unique plant situations. In addition, a heavy snowfall resulting in broken branches may turn a pruning job into a necessity.
Pest Hibernation
Another reason to prune trees in winter is because of a decreased risk of native pests. In the northwest region, we often see popular trees like pine, fir, aspen and birch highly susceptible to boring pests. These pests, which are most often beetles, can smell cut or damaged limbs from many miles away. If they are looking for a place to nest, they will rush to take over the damaged tree. In the winter, however, these pests hibernate or seek refuge in warmer places, so they are not as much of a cause for concern. In this way, you can prune freely without worrying about pest damage.
While simple tree trimming during the fall and spring is ideal, winter provides unique benefits for major pruning jobs. If you are worried that you are "too late" for larger cut-backs, think again! Pruning is a lot more forgiving in the winter season, especially if the snow hasn't yet made an appearance.