Trimming Live Oaks

[FlyinHorn]

I have some branches that hang down too low off a live oak.

Did I miss my chance to prune this tree in March when every "landscaper" in the city was doing this. I'm afraid of exposing it to disease/bugs. Is there a right/wrong time of the year to do it? Is there any special way to do it to minimize damage?

 

[Thunderhoof]

The time of year issue relates primarily to oak wilt. Oak wilt is especially active right now, google it and you can find out all about it. You can safely trim oak trees right now as long as you use pruning sealer, sort of a glorified spray paint. I have spoken with some tree specialists that swear by plain old black or brown spray paint, too. It's cheaper and they say it's just as effective. If you are trimming more than one tree, make sure and spray your chain with diluted bleach. This prevents spreading oak wilt or anything else between your trees.

It can be tough to remember where all the cuts on a tree are when you are cutting by yourself, especially with low branches. Get a buddy to hold a beer in one hand and the pruning sealer in the other so that you'll cover all of the fresh cuts. And spray them immediately.

Good luck.

 

[GhostOfTomJoad]

How thick of a branch do you need to cut before worrying about using sealant on a live oak? The reason I ask is that I just cleared out a couple of dead branches of undergrowth from a tree in back that I easily lopped off w/ a hand pruner (branches were no more than 1/4" - 1/2" in diameter).

I pruned maybe 6-8 of these small branches in total. Should I go out & get some sealant for these?

 

[arroyo]

If the wood was dead you don't have to seal it. I've heard that when pruning Live Oaks, you should seal any branches that are bigger than a pencil.

 

[Mrmyke709]

Dead on, arroyo.
I never prune oaks after March.
Oak wilt is marching down our street.
Anytime I see some dumbass tree company pruning away, I want to open fire on them.

 

[MilkmanDan]

I assume that I'll recognize oak wilt if the oaks start wilting, any other warning signs?

Also, I have an oak with significant trunk damage from carpenter ants - it basically has been turned into a tube. I'll post some pics tomorrow. It leafed out just fine this year. How much damage can it sustain and still make it? What are the odds that it's going to fall over?

 

[MilkmanDan]

Well, I answered my first question.