Your reasons for pruning will influence when you prune as well. You can do light pruning or remove dead wood at any time, but if you have larger goals, you’ll want to plan your pruning around the seasons. For instance, pruning in the winter will result in an explosion of growth during the spring. Pruning during the summer will slow the growth of the cut branch, so it’s a good strategy if you’re trying to shape your tree or slow the growth of branches you don’t want.
Eliminate branches that are growing inward, toward the center of the tree. These cause clutter and are not healthy.
For most deciduous trees, make sure that there are living branches on at least 2/3 of the tree, though this varies by species. Be aware that the trunk alone is not enough to ensure that the tree will survive. Removing all the branches is highly stressful for the plant. Don’t prune heavily more than once per season. Unless a storm breaks more branches, you shouldn’t prune more than once, since the tree needs time to recover.
A good time marker is to prune after the leaves have fallen off the tree. This means the tree is dormant until early spring. If a storm during a different part of the year causes a branch to break, it’s OK to prune it immediately instead of waiting for winter.
The cut should be made on the branch side of what is called the stem collar. This is the small lip of bark that each branch protrudes from. You want to leave the collar intact, so don’t cut flush with the trunk.
Be sure you don’t actually cut off the branch collar. This must remain intact.
