The ongoing fight over when to prune cottonwoods in Albuquerque

I keep seeing people trimming their cottonwoods in late summer and it bugs me. Everyone says they do it because the branches look dead or because they're scared of monsoon storms. But my neighbor who's been landscaping here for 20 years swears early spring is the only safe time. He showed me three trees in our neighborhood that got fungus after late summer cuts. Are you on team prune-early or do you think timing doesn't matter for these trees? What's your go-to month?

3 comments

3 Comments

jordanc321mo ago

You mentioned monsoon storms and that reminds me, my uncle used to trim his cottonwoods in July right before a big rain and a branch fell on his truck. Timing matters more than people think.

henderson.wesley1mo ago

Nah @jordanc32, I gotta disagree - bad luck ain't the same as bad timing.

seanlee29d ago

Friend of mine in the North Valley @jordanc32 trimmed his cottonwood in mid-August because a storm scar had him worried. He said the cuts looked fine for about ten days then black rot started seeping out of every wound. That tree is still struggling three years later and he’s had to cut out half the canopy since. Your uncle’s truck story is exactly the kind of thing that makes people panic-prune at the wrong time.