Question
I have a  wonderful magnolia tree 12'high x 10' wide. I must take off a 4" to 6" diameter limb and some small ones.
Can I do now? Sept. Should I do something to protect tree?
thank you Dave

Answer
It would be best to wait until the hardwood trees drop their leaves--this would  mean the trees are dormant and the sap should not be flowing so this will keep down any bleeding of the wound.  An excellent time to prune oaks is February and March.


Prune the branches off about 1/4 inch from the trunk. This will leave a branch collar and the wound will heal over by itself. If the wound is more than 6 inches across after the cut I would paint the area with a wound dressing. This will keep water from getting into the wound. On wound less than 6 inches across I would leave natural and not paint.

On large limbs more than a couple of inches  it is best to make the first cut about a foot from the trunk on the under side then cut the branch off from the top leaving a stub about a foot long. Then you can prune off the stub and the heavy limb will not split the bark on the trunk.
Here is a web link to how to prune trees with a drawing of the large limb pruning method.
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/text/pruning.ht...