Trimming Live Oak Trees

[Backwoods101]

It's a Live Oak. Properly prune it and don't "Lion-Tail" it! It's perfectly fine to prune a Live Oak year round in Texas. Unless you have Oak Wilt very near your property, I would never put a pruning seal on a Live Oak. Let it heal naturally. I beleive pruning seal inhibits or slows the growth of wound wood that naturally encapsulate pruning cuts.

What’s your thoughts on trimming the broke limbs and sealing them?...in an oak wilt area


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[Snowflake Killa]

It's a Live Oak. Properly prune it and don't "Lion-Tail" it! It's perfectly fine to prune a Live Oak year round in Texas. Unless you have Oak Wilt very near your property, I would never put a pruning seal on a Live Oak. Let it heal naturally. I beleive pruning seal inhibits or slows the growth of wound wood that naturally encapsulate pruning cuts.

Man I really appreciate your input this stuff. I just wait for you to respond. Thanks

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[Pstraw]

One more year isn't going to be that big of deal if it might mean killing the trees.

[Bdub25]

It's a Live Oak. Properly prune it and don't "Lion-Tail" it! It's perfectly fine to prune a Live Oak year round in Texas. Unless you have Oak Wilt very near your property, I would never put a pruning seal on a Live Oak. Let it heal naturally. I beleive pruning seal inhibits or slows the growth of wound wood that naturally encapsulate pruning cuts.

What do you mean by “lion tail”?


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[txtimetravler]

I imagine that ‘lion tail’ means cutting all the small branches off a main branch....only leaving the branches at the end.
So all branches would be skinned with the only branches being at the tip.
Just a guess.

[Oleman]

Leaving mine alone. Old mother nature will take care of them.

[ThisLadyHunts]

If you live in a residential neighborhood in Texas, no other tree—native or otherwise—is more venerated than the Texas Live Oak. Noble and majestic at almost any age, the Texas Live Oak is admired for the uniqueness of its waney profile and esteemed for its sturdiness and longevity.

If you are fortunate enough to have such a tree(s) in your yard, you likely appreciate the shade it provides and the relatively little maintenance it requires. If you’ve lost one to distress or disease, you recognize how practically irreplaceable they are, for you’ll never live long enough to see a Live Oak sapling to significant maturity.

I tell you this as a cautionary tale: Unless you have an abundance of Live Oaks and live in an area where they can naturally propagate, don’t take a chance on the health of your tree! Hire an arborist. They are well worth the money.

[HOOKNBULLET2]

Live oaks should be have all wounds painted immediately upon pruning.

https://tfsweb.tamu.edu///content/article.aspx?id=31484

We lost all of our oak trees on a property up in Bandera due to oak wilt. It is real. We have it in Comal County near my current home and it worries me.

[Hart8]

Listen to Sackett.

[Smeone]

I would encourage you to use pruning paint simply because of the Oak Wilt issue

I worked for a well known tree service in Austin many moons ago when Oak wilt was first becoming a thing we cut and pruned every cut no matter the size....we did not cut, cut, cut then paint, paint paint we cut and painted cut and painted it was that important to them

we worked year around

we also washed all equipment with 10% bleach and water always between moving properties and often on the same property if there was even a consideration that Oak Wilt was in the area

I am also familiar with the similar diseases for grapes (Pierces Disease) and Citrus (greening) and an open cut will attract the sharp shooters that spread the disease and it can be spread with dirty tools (pruning or dirt work like shovels or trenchers)

Oaks are worth a lot of money on a lot of properties (the Lady Bird Center has estimates of worth on their Oaks in the parking lot) and you can spread it like wildfire if you are not careful

sometimes what is "best" is not best when you have other risk involved I say do not take the chance and cur, paint, cut, paint

[AntlerCollector]

Wow the answers are all over the map on this issue. Some completely opposite. I too have a huge oak that needs trimming. No idea what to do after reading this.

[Walker]

Wow the answers are all over the map on this issue. Some completely opposite. I too have a huge oak that needs trimming. No idea what to do after reading this.

Would you believe a bunch of Aggies?https://tfsweb.tamu.edu///content/article.aspx?id=31484

[gingib]

Would you believe a bunch of Aggies?https://tfsweb.tamu.edu///content/article.aspx?id=31484

Yep spot on.

When the temps are rising, the oak wilt is the worst.

I have heard in the peak of summer july-sept it is better and not as bad as prior.

[Burnadell]

Wow the answers are all over the map on this issue. Some completely opposite. I too have a huge oak that needs trimming. No idea what to do after reading this.

Read Sackett’s post. He is an arborist.

In NE Texas, I don’t hesitate to drums my live oaks year round, and I don’t believe the freeze did any major permanent damage.

We don’t have the oak wilt up here in God’s country. He won’t allow it!

[jlp04c]

Wow the answers are all over the map on this issue. Some completely opposite. I too have a huge oak that needs trimming. No idea what to do after reading this.

Yep, it's a mixed bag haha...The major takeaway I'm seeing is to never touch an oak tree at all, and pray blessings over it everyday, lol.