Many ornamental and fruit trees can benefit from pruning in April, but not all of them. Indeed, you can do serious harm by trimming at the wrong time. On that note, we reveal seven trees to never prune in April to prevent homeowners from causing any unnecessary damage to trees on their property.
Deciduous trees, especially those that are yet to emerge from dormancy, and late-summer flowering trees can be done in early spring. However, trees that flower in spring and those that bleed sap or are susceptible to pests in April are best left alone. You do still need to remove dead, diseased, or damaged branches when required (such as after a spring storm) to keep them healthy, but larger-scale pruning is not recommended.
You can see our guide to plants to prune in April, but here the focus is on trees to never prune in April. Homeowners with these in their yard should not take any pruning tools to them except in urgent situations. Here we reveal the dangers of pruning this month, and when the proper window for trimming is.
1. Dogwood
Dogwood trees bloom in early to mid-spring, between late March and mid-May, depending on the variety and your climate. If you prune dogwood trees in April, you can be damaging this year’s display of showy blooms.
When growing and caring for dogwood trees, learn when it wakes up in spring and its usual flowering period. As they flower on old wood, they produce buds the previous season that burst into flowers come spring.
For a great display each year, add two tasks to your spring gardening checklist. Fertilize dogwood trees just as the new leaves are unfurling, and prune them after flowering.
Feed dogwoods with a fertilizer formulated for acid-loving plants, like this acid mix at Walmart.
2. Flowering Cherry
A flowering cherry is almost universally adored as the best tree for spring blossom. They bloom in March and April, often peaking in early to mid-April, but the exact timing varies due to the type, location, and seasonal weather conditions.
It may sound obvious, but it would be foolish to prune a flowering cherry tree that has yet to bloom or is still flowering. You would only be removing this year’s blossom. Prune flowering cherries after the blooming is done for the year, in late spring or early summer. It gives the tree lots of time to develop next year’s buds.
Pruning in summer also helps to avoid silver leaf, a fungal disease that affects ornamental and fruiting cherry trees. The spores are more prevalent in colder months and access the tree through pruning wounds.
3. Oaks
Statuesque oak trees can last for centuries, but one way to cut short the lifespan of an oak is to prune it in April. Oak wilt, a serious fungal disease, is prevalent in spring and early summer, as active beetles carry spores from tree to tree.
It is destructive and present in over 25 eastern and midwestern US states, killing thousands of trees each year. An infected tree can quickly lose its foliage and die within 4-6 weeks.
Avoid pruning oak trees in spring and summer when sap-feeding pests are more active and spreading the disease. Keep oak pruning to late winter, when the beetles are less active.
4. Japanese Maple
Knowing when to prune Japanese maple trees avoids stressing the tree. The stunning trees never need lots of pruning, as their natural shape is so elegant. But when any varieties of Japanese maples do need trimming, do it when the trees are dormant.
The tree has a reputation for bleeding sap if pruned during active growth, and the sap of Japanese maples starts to rise early in spring. If you prune in April, the tree will bleed sap profusely.
This will not ultimately kill the tree, but it is undesirable. Not only does it make a mess and look unattractive, but it also stresses the tree and leaves it more susceptible to pests and diseases.
Another tip for trimming a Japanese maple tree is to use a light touch. They get easily stressed by pruning, so never remove more than 20% at a time.
5. Birch
Birch trees are popular trees thanks to their elegant foliage and unusual peeling bark. It is another ornamental tree that needs to be pruned at the right time of year to avoid pest problems.
April is the wrong time to prune birch trees; the right time is late winter. Pruning birches in spring only results in the tree bleeding sap and getting stressed. This puts it in danger of the bronze birch borer, a wood-boring pest that targets all birch species and is particularly attracted to stressed or weakened trees.
The larvae of the beetle cause huge damage as they feed on the tree's vascular system, which moves water and nutrients. The leaves can discolor and fall, the branches die back, and the tree ultimately starves to death.
6. Lilac
Lilac trees produce their fragrant, conical blooms in spring. Growing lilacs rewards homeowners with a display that often starts in April or May, depending on the variety and climate, and lasts for around three weeks.
The time to prune lilacs comes around flowering, in late spring or early summer. Removing the blooms within a few weeks of the flowers ending stops seed production and focuses the plant’s energy on surviving summer and developing next year’s flower buds.
As for how to prune lilacs post-flowering, deadhead any spent blooms, remove dead, damaged, diseased, or rubbing stems, and get rid of any suckers around the base of the tree.
Shop Pruning Tools
This three-tool set features steel-bladed bypass pruning shears, bypass loppers, and a folding pruning saw. It has all you need for trimming trees this month.
A pruning saw is the go-to tool for pruning large tree branches. This one has steel, rust-resistant chromed blades to cut through thick stems with ease.
This pocket-sized tool sharpener can put a sharp edge on pruners, loppers, and shears in just a few strokes. It is perfect for any gardening tool bag.
We’ve covered what you shouldn’t do this month in the shape of trees to never prune in April, but what about fun gardening jobs you can do this spring? Well, our guides to flowers to plant in April and vegetables to plant in April reveal lots of seeds you can sow this month.
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