Debate: Do you prune live branches for structure or wait for deadwood? I've gone back and forth after a fight with a client last week.

I had this client in Boise who insisted I trim every crossing branch on her 15 year old maple, even if it was still healthy. She said it's better for the tree's future. I usually leave structure pruning to winter dormancy and just take deadwood in the summer. Her way felt too aggressive to me - like we were causing unnecessary stress during growing season. But she showed me some arborist blog from Oregon that says light structural pruning in summer helps direct growth better. Now I'm second guessing myself. Has anyone else dealt with a situation where the client was actually right about a technique?

2 comments

2 Comments

hall.nina14d ago

Client's always right, until they're not.

max_ross14d ago

Read a blog post that said "the client is usually right about what they want, wrong about how to get it.