1. Is this still an OK time of year to do some major oak tree pruning?

2. I'm considering purchasing a 32 inch PowerGear2 Titanium Lopper made in Norway. Suggestions?

I'd wait a bit longer. Get firmly into the depths of summer heat.

DrHeadShrink said:

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1. Is this still an OK time of year to do some major oak tree pruning?

2. I'm considering purchasing a 32 inch PowerGear2 Titanium Lopper made in Norway. Suggestions?

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Darn: You had me excited......I thought you might have found a great gas powered pole chain saw I didn't know about. I have had an Echo for a few years and the oiler has quit working. I've had some great Stihl chain saws, but the reviews on the latest/current Stihl pole saws are terrible. I'm thinking I will just get the Echo fixed......needs an oiler and only a certified service center can evidently get them from Echo.

I have the same question.....what are the two periods during the year when it is best to prune large limbs on oaks? I thought it was a couple of weeks after the first hard freeze but before budding.....and then I thought there was one more time in the hottest part to the summer. Help us out smart tree guys.

Today Neil Sperry said dead of winter and the hottest part of summer. I am a winter guy but he said the oak wilt is not active during the hottest period. My neighbor has had her last 2 husbands and one son trim post and live oaks in July/August and most died within 3 years.

Corona SL 4364 DualLINK with ComfortGEL Grip Extendable Heavy Duty Bypass Limb and Branch Lopper Cuts Up to 1-3/4" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GZ4OJ4I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.8vXEb5TGV7MX

Get some corona, made in China.

It's not so much about when oak wilt fungus is active as it is about when the nitidulid beetle that acts as the primary vector of new fungal center infestations. A few years ago Dr Apple updated recommendations-new research indicated the only time nitidulid is not active in most of Texas is December to January. If your primary concern is oak wilt I'd stick to dead of winter.

So knocking ball moss out of branches should be done in the dead ass winter as well, in the event branches are broken? I was researching a chemical application that will help with ball moss as well. Just moved to 3 acres in Hays county and getting familiar with live oak care.

two1993ags said:

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It's not so much about when oak wilt fungus is active as it is about when the nitidulid beetle that acts as the primary vector of new fungal center infestations. A few years ago Dr Apple updated recommendations-new research indicated the only time nitidulid is not active in most of Texas is December to January. If your primary concern is oak wilt I'd stick to dead of winter.

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This. I only prune trees susceptible to oak wilt in the dead of winter. You might be o.k. in the middle of a drought in 100+ degree weather, but why the hell would you wanna prune then anyway.

oklaunion said:

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Today Neil Sperry said dead of winter and the hottest part of summer. I am a winter guy but he said the oak wilt is not active during the hottest period. My neighbor has had her last 2 husbands and one son trim post and live oaks in July/August and most died within 3 years.

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What did the husbands and son die of? Anything related to tigers?

Baking soda solution works pretty well on ball moss.

If you get storm damage or have to prune a limb, it is advisable to paint/treat the cut immediately to seal from the beetle - not hours later or the next day.

Have you looked at the Husqvarna 525pt5s? Ive had one for about 4-5 years and been real happy with it. Its kind of heavy and Ive struggled at times to keep the chain on but overall its a cutting mofo as long as the blade is sharp. Limbs/ trees up to about 8". Its always started easily and idles great! Ive dropped probably 100 cedars and other small/ medium trees with it in the last week alone.

https://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/pole-saws/525pt5s/967329301/

For loppers, I really like these. They do well on bigger limbs but an extendable model would be nice.

https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-32-Inch-PowerGear2-Lopper/dp/B00QMWETPM/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=limb+loppers&qid=1590010371&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-12

Thanks!
I went with the Corona SL 4364 DualLINK with ComfortGEL Grip Extendable Heavy Duty Bypass Limb and Branch Lopper.
I found it in stock at Tractor Supply, bought it online and did a free curbside pick up this afternoon.
I will do a minimum of branch cutting just so I can put my vehicle in the driveway without scraping the branches.
In the dead of winter I will go back and do a much heavier pruning.

Never thought I'd be a fan of battery operated lawn equipment but the Harbor Freight $100 battery pole saw will outlast me in a day's worth of use.

CS78 said:

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Have you looked at the Husqvarna 525pt5s? Ive had one for about 4-5 years and been real happy with it.

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You must be serious about pole sawing! That's a $600+ saw.

It does have long length, though. (158"). That's certainly better than most.

I liked reading this review of that saw from the Husky website:

Quote:

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Cuts anything in no time. Including power lines. Plastic grips insulated me from the shock and prevented certain electrocution and death. Also good on trees.

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Wow! That guy needs to go to church.


Anyway, much like SanAntoneAg, I never thought I'd be a fan of battery-operated equipment. That is, until I tried the Greenworks 40 volt (#20672) 8-1/2' pole saw. Now I'm sold on battery, at least for this particular application.

Granted, out of the box it's shorter than the Husky you mentioned, but after you add (2) 2-1/2' extension poles to it, it's slightly longer than the Husky. It only has an 8" bar compared to the 10" or 12" that the Husky has, though. Even with the stock 2.0 AH battery, I'll wear out before it will.

Thanks very much!

Badace52 said:

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two1993ags said:

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It's not so much about when oak wilt fungus is active as it is about when the nitidulid beetle that acts as the primary vector of new fungal center infestations. A few years ago Dr Apple updated recommendations-new research indicated the only time nitidulid is not active in most of Texas is December to January. If your primary concern is oak wilt I'd stick to dead of winter.

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This. I only prune trees susceptible to oak wilt in the dead of winter. You might be o.k. in the middle of a drought in 100+ degree weather, but why the hell would you wanna prune then anyway.Wou

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Do you think it would be okay to prune post oak in the dead of summer?

Probably, they are not very susceptible to oak wilt. However, I hesitate to do anything to a post oak that is doing well. If you look at those things wrong, they die.

Agree....I've owned hundreds of huge post oaks over the last 30 years and there is no obvious rhyme or reason as to why some die and some don't. Ones that you are absolutely sure will die because you've built your house six feet from their 24" trunk and cut 1/3 of their canopy will live for 30 years and ones that are just "in the yard" but haven't been touched in any way will die suddenly. Some will thrive if new water gathers around them and others will be dead within a year. I've decided most post oaks are women.