Why does nobody talk about the risk of over-pruning oaks in early spring?

I tried a heavy prune on a mature red oak last March here in Ohio, following the usual dormant season advice. But instead of bouncing back strong like I expected, it got hit hard with oak wilt by June and lost three major limbs. My old timer buddy swears it's fine as long as you seal cuts, but my boss says never touch oaks after February. Has anyone else seen this happen or am I just unlucky?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles_price20d ago

Yeah, I've been down that exact road with a red oak in Indiana. Dormant pruning is solid advice for most trees, but oaks are a whole different ballgame once temps start warming up in early spring. Sealing cuts is an old wives' tale too, it actually traps moisture and can make rot worse. Have you tested the soil around it since the wilt hit?

caleb_gibson20d ago

Hey man, thats rough. I lost a 40 year old pin oak in my backyard here in Ohio to oak wilt two years ago and it still stings when I look at that empty spot. I had an arborist tell me the fungus can travel through connected root systems to neighboring oaks too, not just from bugs. Wish I knew that before it spread to the one by the fence. Soil test is a good idea though, I never even thought about that part.