On 05/08/2012 06:22 PM, Sacha wrote:
On 2012-05-08 15:56:54 +0100, Emery Davis said:

On 05/08/2012 01:03 PM, Sacha wrote:
Times to avoid: early spring to mid-summer; late summer to mid-winter.
Times it would be best: mid-winter to very early spring; mid-June to
mid-July

Just before that he says "Pruning after mid-summer would be ok but it
may be better to wait until the end of the winter."

What would be wrong with pruning after leaf fall, I wonder? The wood
has ripened, and there's no growth going on obviously.

The trouble with waiting until "mid-winter" is knowing when the sap has
started to run. During a very mild winter, the sap can be going pretty
strong even just after Christmas. For this reason I make sure all maple
pruning is done before Christmas. If you get it wrong they will bleed
for many days. I imagine horse chestnut is the same.

I certainly agree with pruning after the first growth period but before
the second.

Just wondering...

The man the neighbours want to get in says he can start next week, which
is just the wrong time. That was the problem the OP was referring to in
his first post. If he knew what he was doing, he wouldn't even suggest it!

Yes, we certainly agree about that Sacha! I was just wondering about
why not to prune in late fall, after leaf drop.