Things You'll Need.

As a general rule, a light summer pruning can be performed on most deciduous trees and shrubs. Heavier pruning should be performed when the tree is dormant, preferably in late winter before active growth begins. Trees such as maple (Acer) trees bleed sap heavily and should be pruned in winter while the trees are dormant. Spring flowering shrubs such as lilac and forsythia bloom on the previous. Mar 19, The best time to prune these shrubs is later in the spring, only after their flowers have faded and before they start setting their buds for the next year.

While sap-producing trees, like maple and birch, can be pruned in the winter, they’ll end up “bleeding” a lot of sap at that time. While it’s harmless to the tree, many people opt for a late spring or early summer pruning to avoid the bushdig.barted Reading Time: 5 mins. Jul 13, Sap levels are at their lowest during the late spring and summer months, so, unlike most trees which should generally be pruned at other times i.e.

during the late autumn and winter, it is recommended that the best time for maple tree pruning is actually during the late spring or summer. Even early spring is a bit of a risky time to prune bushdig.barted Reading Time: 11 mins.