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Old forester said never prune oaks in spring - I didn't listen
Cut a big limb off a red oak in early May last year and within 3 weeks it was dripping sap and covered in beetles. That oak wilt cost me $800 to take the tree down, has anyone else lost a tree to ignoring the dormant season rule?
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the_miles16d agoTop Commenter
That line about "within 3 weeks it was dripping sap" hit close to home. I had a similar situation with a water oak I trimmed in April a few years back, figured one little cut wouldn't matter. Same thing happened, sap and beetles everywhere, and within a couple months the whole top half was dead. What worked for me was cutting the tree down myself before it spread to my other oaks, then painting the stump with a proper wound sealer to keep the bugs from moving on. Now I don't touch a single oak branch between April and October, no matter how tempting it is. That $800 lesson stings but at least you know now, same way I do.
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lunag3016d ago
Man, I used to think old timer advice was just superstition and not real science. But after watching my neighbor do the same thing and lose a beautiful oak, I totally get why they say to wait now. Funny how a costly mistake like that makes you respect the rules people have been passing down for generations.
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