TIMOTHY DALY: Avoid pruning in the fall

During the long, hot dog days of late summer, the Extension Office gets fewer calls from home gardeners. That was especially true this year. With the 90-degree-plus heat, homeowners are reluctant to go outside and work in the yard. With the arrival of autumn, the temperatures moderate, with blue skies and inviting surroundings. People notice that some plants may have gotten a little “leggy” since the last time they were in the yard. Since it is a beautiful day for yard work, it would be a good time to do some pruning, right? Wrong!

Despite our natural inclinations, there are better times to prune woody shrubs and trees than fall. The first reason to avoid fall pruning is that fall-pruned shrubs tend to have more winter injury.