That pruning advice from my neighbor wrecked my oak

My neighbor Bill told me to prune my oak tree back hard in August to keep it small. He said he did it every year and his trees were fine. I followed his advice and now half the branches are dying off. An arborist from Urban Tree Service in Dayton told me August pruning stresses oaks and can invite oak wilt. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from a well-meaning neighbor?

3 comments

3 Comments

lily571mo ago

Oh man, Bill's advice was a disaster waiting to happen. Pruning oaks in August is basically asking for oak wilt to show up and ruin your tree. Those sap beetles come out in summer and they spread the fungus like crazy, especially on fresh cuts. Bill probably got lucky with his trees or just doesn't realize how close he is to losing them. You did the right thing calling an arborist, they can tell you if there's any saving it or if you need to start over.

karenb971mo ago

Guess Bill's trees are just too stubborn to die yet, or he's got a secret pact with the oak wilt fairy. So did the arborist give you any hope for that tree, or is it time to plan a funeral?

shanef341mo ago

My buddy runs a tree service and he says the real issue is sealing those cuts with pruning paint. Some people think you're supposed to cover fresh oak cuts right away to keep beetles out, but he says that can actually trap moisture and make things worse in certain weather. The arborist I've used before told me to stick with a specific latex-based sealer only between November and March, and leave summer cuts totally bare so they dry out faster. Might be worth asking the arborist about that too, since the timing of when you seal things could be just as critical as when you prune.