There are several varieties of evergreen trees. So when are you suppose to prune them? Are they all pruned at the same time?
When should you prune evergreen trees? In general, you prune most evergreen trees late winter into early spring and then again when they go semi-dormant in mid-summer, except for pines. Pines should be pruned in spring as new growth starts.
But let’s dive a little deeper into this since there are so many different nuances when it comes to pruning depending on which variety of evergreen tree you are working on.
When To Prune Evergreen Trees:
When Should Spruce Trees Be Pruned?
In general you don’t have to prune spruce trees much unless you have planted it in a location that is much too small for the tree.
To remove live branches late winter into early spring is the best time of the year. Once it starts to grow you should hold off on pruning whole limbs until it is dormant again.
If you are just trying to touch up the ends of the branches for the desired shape, then you will want to do the shearing or pruning in the spring to summer during the growing season.
Avoid pruning in late summer into the fall as this might promote new growth that will not be able to withstand the cold winter temperatures.
When Should Fir Trees Be Pruned?
Fir Trees are pruned just like a spruce tree. Remove branches in the late winter to early spring and do touch up trimming during the growing season of spring into early summer.
Avoid pruning towards the end of summer and into the fall as this might promote new growth that will not be able to handle the cold of the winter which will cause the new growth to die.
When Should Arborvitae Trees Be Pruned?
For arborvitae trees you can prune in early spring or mid-summer. For heavier pruning you will want to finish that before the new growth begins.
Arborvitae can handle heavy pruning or shearing.
When Should Juniper Trees Be Pruned?
To shape a juniper tree you will want to do light pruning before the new growth starts in the season.
Take care not to prune a branch so far back that there isn’t any green needles left because it will not grow out if that is the case.
Shearing should be done in the spring when the juniper is actively growing, but again make sure you are not taking off too much at one time. If you shear down to the point where it no longer has green the limb will not recover.
When Should Yews Trees Be Pruned?
Yews should be pruned in late winter to early spring. Then again in early summer around mid-june.
You can shear yews during the growing season up until August or last summer to prevent the encouragement of new growth that will not be able to withstand the cold of winter.
Yews can prune heavily pruned and can produce new growth on old wood.
When Should Hemlock Trees Be Pruned?
Hemlock trees should be pruned as you would a yew. Late winter into early spring. Then again after the new growth has develop in early summer.
It is advised not to prune after mid-summer because the new growth that is promoted with the pruning will not harden off in time for the cold winter causing the new growth to die.
When Should Pine Trees Be Pruned?
Pine trees are very different from the rest of the evergreens. With a pine tree you can cut the limbs in late winter to early spring. Just keep in mind that new growth only happens on the ends of the branches.
To maintain a size or to slow the growth down you will need to pinch or cut the new growth candle in the spring. You can take off 1/3 to 1/2 of the candle. The candle is the new tip that grows each spring.
It is not recommended to shear pine trees although you will see this done on Christmas tree farms and in nursery stock. This practice encourages tight needle development for a fuller looking tree.
When Should Dead, Diseased or Damaged Limbs Be Pruned?
Dead limbs can be pruned anytime. Take care not to damage live limbs around the area when cutting out a dead limb. Cut the limb back to the trunk leaving the branch collar intact. The branch collar is a little bit larger than the limb itself and is the base where the limb grows out of the trunk. This collar is what the tree uses to grow over the cut that you make when pruning.
If you are not sure if the limb is completely dead, scratch the bark a little bit with your fingernail or knife. If the wood looks dry then the limb is dead.
For damaged or broken limbs you will need to decide if the whole limb should be removed or if you just need to cut out the part that is damaged. If you have to cut off the majority of the limb back inside the tree then you might as well remove the whole limb.
If you are just cutting off part of the limb but the remaining part will be exposed to sunlight then just remove only the damaged part of the limb and leave the rest.
If you notice a diseased limb identify what the disease is. You might be able to address the disease and save the limb, but if that is not the case then you should remove the limb so that the disease does not spread to other healthy limbs.
After you make your cut of the disease limb be sure to disinfect the cutting blade with alcohol before using it on any other limbs or trees.
Do Evergreen Branches Grow Back?
In general, evergreen branches do not grow back. It is better to prune them back to a fork or branch instead.
That being said, as was mentioned above the yews can produce new growth off of old wood. You just have to make sure you are not cutting out too much at one time.
Pines are a whole other story. Pines
When Do You Prune Evergreen Magnolias Trees?
Because the magnolia bleeds excessively when you prune they should only be pruned in mid-summer and into early fall.
It is best to trim a limb back to a branch and not to leave a stub which will just die back to the next branch anyway.
If you need to lightly prune a branch it can be done anytime especially if it is a situation that you need to keep it off a roof or side of a
Related Questions
Can a brown evergreen come back? No, it is dead. You can scratch the bark of the trunk a little bit to see if it is green or not but in general evergreen trees don’t come back once they turn brown.
Do evergreens turn brown in the fall? Evergreens can turn a little brown on the ends of the needles due to the winter wind and lack of moisture. The third years’ set of inside needles will turn brown and fall off like a deciduous tree.
Trimming evergreen tree bottoms. Sometimes it is necessary to head up or trim up branches on evergreens for beds underneath or for walkways and driveways. Just keep in mind that they will not grow new limbs and once you cut the lower limbs off that is it. So I suggest that you cut one off at a time and step back for a look to see if that’s all you need before cutting the next one.
