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Sunday - September 07, 2008

From: Hewitt, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pruning, Trees
Title: When is the appropriate time to prune pecan trees in Hewitt?
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

Labor Day Weekend my husband decided to trim all the low branches on a big pecan tree in our back yard which I thought should had been done at the first of the year, our temprature is in the mid 90's do you think the tree will be fine. Thanks , concerned wife.

ANSWER:

Give a guy a chainsaw and some time off, and no telling what might happen!

There are various opinions about the timing of pruning pecan trees, but no hard and fast rules. The principal caveat is not to take too many branches from the tree.

I've included three information sources that should prove helpful and perhaps alleviate your concerns.

The first is a general guide explaining the procedure and rationale for tree pruning.

The second source describes procedures for pruning pecan trees.

The third article from the Texas A&M Extension Service gives a lot of general information about the care and nurture of pecan trees in your back yard.