Too late to trim oak trees?

[BLACKJACK]

I have some oak trees with low hanging branches that I'd like to trim so I can drive my tractor under for mowing. These are big trees with big branches, some of the cutoff branches will be 4-8 inches across.

Is it too late in the winter to trim these oaks off?? Should I be treating the cut portion?

Thanks!!

[LwnmwnMan2]

"Don't prune in May or June".

[Powerstroke]

It is still a great time to trim trees.

You should never be treating any cuts you make. Get out there and take care of those low limbs.

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks guys, I lined up a tree guy for early next week.

Powerstrke, why not tree the cuts?

[Powerstroke]

Treating the wounds was an old practice. It was thought that by applying a coating you would somehow protect the wound from drying out or exposing it to insects or other pathogens. Lots of recent studies have shown that it isn't any more or less effective at helping the tree and that it can actually slow the healing process.

The only time applying a tree coating is considered is when they are wounded in the warmer season months when they are most vulnerable to insects or disease and you have to make a cut due to storm damage or otherwise, but even in those cases, if a tree had a broken limb that was large enough to need to be removed, it probably had a dozen more smaller branches broken and if the insects wanted to get in, they will find a way through all the other wounds, not just the one big one you bother to paint.

[TroutYammer]

Conventaional wisdom says don't trim Oaks after May 15. Hoever, since the early warm weather is already here I have already stopped trimming oak trees.

[newoodhntr]

We are trimming trees now and our forester told us to leave the Oaks alone. They shouldn't be trimmed until after a hard frost in fall.