When To Prune A Red Twig Dogwood? When Is The Time To Prune A Dogwood Tree? A dogwood tree is one of the most beautiful trees when the flowers are in bloom.
They are exceptionally easy to grow and usually have a good, natural shape all on their own. If your dogwood doesn’t have that natural shape, you may want to prune it.
When To Prune A Red Twig Dogwood?
Dogwoods should be pruned from late fall until late winter. These are the months when your dogwood tree is “sleeping” or “dormant”. If you wait until the buds start to swell, it will be too late, and you’ll end up pruning the buds which means that you will have fewer flowers on your tree next season.
Reasons To Prune Your Dogwood.
There are two main reasons to prune your dogwood tree. One is if it’s bleeding sap and the other is if it has insects.
Insects
There is a dogwood insect that loves cut places on your tree. These insects are active during the April, May, and June months which is why it is important not to prune during these months.
Bleeding Sap
During the spring and summer, dogwoods are growing. At this time, they are bleeding quite a bit of sap. This sap actually feeds the tree so if you’re cutting the branches during this time, you’re taking away energy from your tree.
Branches That Are Crossed
If you wait until the late fall to prune then the leaves will be gone, allowing you to see branches that may be crossed and rubbing each other. These branches need to be pruned.
Branches That Are Dead
Every now and then there will be branches that don’t get enough sun and they die. These branches also need to be removed immediately so as to not attract insects.
You can cut the entire branch off or you can cut it back to where there is a live fork in the branch.
Sprouts
If you see any sprouts, these can be pruned at any time but once the tree is dormant, they are easier to see through it is best if you remove them as soon as you notice them.
Branches That Are Damaged
Trees can get damaged by storms. If you see damaged branches, prune them, this way your tree can start to heal from the damage.
Branches With A Disease
If you see leaves on a certain branch that are turning a different color, there is possibly a disease attacking that branch. Before cutting it, go online and check the symptoms of the branch. There may be an easy fix to this. If not, then cut it back to a section where the branch is still healthy.
Bloom Buds
During the late fall to late winter, you will see what are called bloom buds. Do your best when pruning your tree to not cut these, they are your flowers for the coming season. You will end up cutting some of them, sometimes it can’t be helped, just be careful not to cut too many.
If you’re in an area that doesn’t really have a dogwood insect problem, lightly pruning just as the tree is finishing the flowering is a great idea as it gives the tree lots of time to sprout new, young buds.
Don’t forget if you decide to prune some during this time, there will be a lot of sap bleeding, so be mindful to watch for the unwanted insects that it can attract.
