Questions

[Jace]

I have varying questions from time to time, in relation to plant health...so I'll just start a thread for that.

1) just got back from the Orlando Conference, and in a CODIT Principle session, Dirk Dujesiefken spoke briefly of trees' wound wood reaction to pruning being considerably faster when pruning cuts are made during the growing time of year, and that, in terms of preventing decay spread, is better for the tree...showed a couple slides of 1 yr old pruning wound (I think) area that had been cut in half to show the internal decay difference between dormant and growing season...the dormancy wound having substantially more spread of internal decay because of the period of time it took after the pruning cut until wound wood started taking place.

Dormancy seems to be the primary most recognized time of year to prune...
ie: http://www.davey.com/arborist-advice/articles/dormant-pruning/


Sorta causing me to rethink things. There are pathogens to consider in relation to all this, w different species, like elms and oaks, but what about all the others? Should every tree genus or species be individually weighed, with consideration of the possibility of insects, bacteria, and fungi invasion...weighed against the fact that (per that class)dormant pruning allows for more spread of internal decay? And how is that possible in light of fungi are most surely dormant during winter..?

Sorry if all the above is only clear as mud. Seems oftentimes, the more I try to learn, the more confused I become. Maybe I should've asked all this after the class.

Thoughts?

 

[Raintree]

Jace, the first question I would ask, are you in the tree care business that services clients in order for you to make a living?

 

[Jace]

Yes, meaning exactly what?

 

[ckliff]

Meaning... prune the tree when the customer is prepared to write the check. All other considerations are purely academic.

 

[Jace]

Client: "I'd like you to prune this tree for me, my grandpa planted it, and I'm not sure the best time of year to do it, or even how to do it, you're the expert, that's why I called you and not Joe's wack'm and stack'm. Please schedule it and call me in advance."

Me: "Thank you mam for giving us the opertunity to care for your trees. However soon you will be ready to write that check, is how soon I will schedule your tree pruning".


Got it.

 

[lone wolf]

 

[Raintree]

Customer: I have numerous pruning needs on my property, large shade trees, evergreens, fruit trees, flowering ornamentals & shrubs. I just went to this tree care conference & was told that different species should be pruned at specific times of the year. Since I'm like all your other clients with unlimited funding for my tree work. I would like you to schedule multiple visits at your convenience according to whats best for the tree. Just send me the bills.

Jace, in the real world where the saw meets wood, we try to do whats best for the tree & the customer. Every situation is different, making a honest in this day & age is not easy. One thing I have learned over the many years in the industry is that the science & ideas will change.

 

[ropensaddle]

Wow and I been putting off trimming until fall because of oak wilt, wtf was I thinking? What I have noticed I will take absolute time and care to prune then come back a year later to find dog chain embedded into the bark. I think a high percentage of tree diseases have originated from mankind and his refusal to live in cooperation with nature and his insatiable desire to alter it . Unfortunately bills must be paid and most times someone is going to do the job if I don't and they will end up hat racks. I suppose there is a lot of checks and balances going on among the tree tops. I still will schedule in fall for a lot of trims.

 

[Raintree]

Limiting the pruning window to the growing season to prevent decay. Is not the same as pruning when dormant to minimize disease. This is the conundrum presented by the OP.
Most of these egg-headed guys giving the seminars & conferences have interesting info, some helpful, some not so much. I have found from going to many talks, these guys are clueless on how to run a tree business. As I stated earlier, "we try to do whats best for the tree & the customer", and put food on our tables.