In your opinion, what is the best time of year to trim oak trees?

It's relatively safe to prune large cuts sometime in mid-summer and
December/January. Those are the times the pathogen vector is alive and carrying
the oak wilt to open wounds.

To be completely safe, I would wait till winter. If you have oak wilt anywhere
within five miles of your house, wait, if you can. Small cuts which are poking
your eyes out when you mow or walk by can be made, but I'd clean the sequiturs
with lysed in between each cut regardless how small.

IMO

Check with Texas A&M for a positive answer.

On Mon, 14 Jul 2003 16:56:57 -0500, "David"
wrote:

In your opinion, what is the best time of year to trim oak trees?

On Mon, 14 Jul 2003 16:56:57 -0500, "David"
wrote:

In your opinion, what is the best time of year to trim oak trees?



in the winter

Howdy folks,
In regards to this exchange:
In your opinion, what is the best time of year to trim oak trees?



in the winter

I would add, the reason being is that like all trees there is less
stress , pruning while the tree is dormant ( and of course you can see
what you are doing ). With Oaks to protect against Oak wilt spread,
keep a bucket of water/ bleach solution to disinfect your shears
between cuts and paint the cuts with pruning sealer ( a spray can
works for small cuts, a brush for big cuts ). In addition, get a book
( I think Sperry's Texas Gardening will do ) or pull up a web site
with tree pruning illustrations to show the proper location of the
location of the cuts, it's important and you don't want a careless
job.
take care,
Steve Coyle
www.austingardencenter.com

On 15 Jul 2003 07:49:56 -0700, (Steve Coyle) wrote:

Howdy folks,
In regards to this exchange:
In your opinion, what is the best time of year to trim oak trees?



in the winter

I would add, the reason being is that like all trees there is less
stress , pruning while the tree is dormant ( and of course you can see
what you are doing ). With Oaks to protect against Oak wilt spread,
keep a bucket of water/ bleach solution to disinfect your shears
between cuts and paint the cuts with pruning sealer ( a spray can
works for small cuts, a brush for big cuts ). In addition, get a book
( I think Sperry's Texas Gardening will do ) or pull up a web site
with tree pruning illustrations to show the proper location of the
location of the cuts, it's important and you don't want a careless
job.
take care,
Steve Coyle
www.austingardencenter.com

I thought the extension services did away with painting the cuts. Was I wrong?
I never painted mine, but I am nowhere oak wilt in this part of northeast Round
Rock.

I may be thinking about how it was up north...but I could swear I heard either
Dromgoole or Garrett say painting the cuts is no longer suggested by extension.

It can't hurt to paint, IMO. Especially when it comes to very large,
irreplaceable trees.

Victoria

On 15 Jul 2003 07:49:56 -0700, (Steve Coyle) wrote:

Howdy folks,
In regards to this exchange:
In your opinion, what is the best time of year to trim oak trees?



in the winter

I would add, the reason being is that like all trees there is less
stress , pruning while the tree is dormant ( and of course you can see
what you are doing ). With Oaks to protect against Oak wilt spread,
keep a bucket of water/ bleach solution to disinfect your shears
between cuts and paint the cuts with pruning sealer ( a spray can
works for small cuts, a brush for big cuts ). In addition, get a book
( I think Sperry's Texas Gardening will do ) or pull up a web site
with tree pruning illustrations to show the proper location of the
location of the cuts, it's important and you don't want a careless
job.
take care,
Steve Coyle
www.austingardencenter.com

I thought the extension services did away with painting the cuts. Was I wrong?
I never painted mine, but I am nowhere oak wilt in this part of northeast Round
Rock.

I may be thinking about how it was up north...but I could swear I heard either
Dromgoole or Garrett say painting the cuts is no longer suggested by extension.

It can't hurt to paint, IMO. Especially when it comes to very large,
irreplaceable trees.

Victoria

On Tue, 15 Jul 2003 19:39:46 GMT, animaux
wrote:

On 15 Jul 2003 07:49:56 -0700, (Steve Coyle) wrote:

Howdy folks,
In regards to this exchange:
In your opinion, what is the best time of year to trim oak trees?



in the winter

I would add, the reason being is that like all trees there is less
stress , pruning while the tree is dormant ( and of course you can see
what you are doing ). With Oaks to protect against Oak wilt spread,
keep a bucket of water/ bleach solution to disinfect your shears
between cuts and paint the cuts with pruning sealer ( a spray can
works for small cuts, a brush for big cuts ). In addition, get a book
( I think Sperry's Texas Gardening will do ) or pull up a web site
with tree pruning illustrations to show the proper location of the
location of the cuts, it's important and you don't want a careless
job.
take care,
Steve Coyle
www.austingardencenter.com

I thought the extension services did away with painting the cuts. Was I wrong?
I never painted mine, but I am nowhere oak wilt in this part of northeast Round
Rock.

I may be thinking about how it was up north...but I could swear I heard either
Dromgoole or Garrett say painting the cuts is no longer suggested by extension.

Tree paint is still recommended for live oak and red oak as a physical
barrier against the oak wilt spore-carrying nitidulid beetle.

It can't hurt to paint, IMO. Especially when it comes to very large,
irreplaceable trees.

It's suggested that tree paint traps moisture and dying vascular
tissue between itself and the tree's own sealants, encouraging decay
and providing more favorable conditions for insects and pathogens.

On Tue, 15 Jul 2003 19:39:46 GMT, animaux
wrote:

On 15 Jul 2003 07:49:56 -0700, (Steve Coyle) wrote:

Howdy folks,
In regards to this exchange:
In your opinion, what is the best time of year to trim oak trees?



in the winter

I would add, the reason being is that like all trees there is less
stress , pruning while the tree is dormant ( and of course you can see
what you are doing ). With Oaks to protect against Oak wilt spread,
keep a bucket of water/ bleach solution to disinfect your shears
between cuts and paint the cuts with pruning sealer ( a spray can
works for small cuts, a brush for big cuts ). In addition, get a book
( I think Sperry's Texas Gardening will do ) or pull up a web site
with tree pruning illustrations to show the proper location of the
location of the cuts, it's important and you don't want a careless
job.
take care,
Steve Coyle
www.austingardencenter.com

I thought the extension services did away with painting the cuts. Was I wrong?
I never painted mine, but I am nowhere oak wilt in this part of northeast Round
Rock.

I may be thinking about how it was up north...but I could swear I heard either
Dromgoole or Garrett say painting the cuts is no longer suggested by extension.

Tree paint is still recommended for live oak and red oak as a physical
barrier against the oak wilt spore-carrying nitidulid beetle.

It can't hurt to paint, IMO. Especially when it comes to very large,
irreplaceable trees.

It's suggested that tree paint traps moisture and dying vascular
tissue between itself and the tree's own sealants, encouraging decay
and providing more favorable conditions for insects and pathogens.

Howdy folks,
In regards to this post:
Tree paint is still recommended for live oak and red oak as a physical
barrier against the oak wilt spore-carrying nitidulid beetle.


It's suggested that tree paint traps moisture and dying vascular
tissue between itself and the tree's own sealants, encouraging decay
and providing more favorable conditions for insects and pathogens.

This is what I've been hearing also, and should have noted that
given the Oak Wilt problem measures are taken that are not used with
other trees. It's also my understanding that the trees own sealants
are concentrated at the collar, that rounded outgrowth where the
branch meets the tree and proper pruning requires careful location of
the cuts to ensure proper healing of the wound, which is worth some
pictorial research or demonstration by a good arborist. I hope someone
with a better grasp of the bio chemistry might elaborate for our
benefit.

Take care,
Steve Coyle
www.austingardencenter.com