Ask when to trim oak trees in Houston and you get one firm rule and a lot of flexibility. The rule comes from oak wilt: Texas A&M Forest Service says not to prune or wound oaks from February through June. Almost everything else in a Houston yard can be trimmed lightly at any time, with a few trees, like crape myrtles and pecans, that do best with a late winter visit.
Tree Service Houston TX is a free phone line, not a tree company. When you know what you want done, call (346) 680-8916 and you are put through to an independent, locally owned tree service company in the Houston area that looks at the tree and quotes its own price. This guide helps you book that work at the right time of year.
The Houston tree trimming calendar
This table pulls together the timing advice from Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, the International Society of Arboriculture and NOAA. Hazards, such as a cracked limb over the roof, are handled when they happen, whatever the month.
| Months | Oaks (live, water, red) | Crape myrtles and pecans | Other trees |
|---|---|---|---|
| July to September | Planned pruning can resume. Paint every cut. | Leave for late winter unless a limb touches the house or is broken. | Dead and broken limbs only. Avoid heavy live cuts in the heat. Peak of hurricane season. |
| October to January | Good window for cleaning, clearance and storm prep. Paint every cut. Finish oak work by the end of January. | Wait for late winter. After a freeze, wait to judge damage. | Good time for planned pruning before the spring growth flush. |
| Late winter (February) | Do not prune or wound oaks. | Prime time to prune crape myrtles lightly and to remove dead or low pecan limbs while the tree is dormant. | Good time for structural pruning before buds break, once the threat of frost has passed. |
| March to June | Do not prune or wound oaks. Storm hazards only, painted at once. | Only broken or hazardous limbs. | Avoid heavy live pruning just after the spring flush. Finish dead-wood removal before June 1. |
Oaks: why February through June is off limits
Live oaks, water oaks and other oaks shade much of Houston. Oak wilt is the reason they have a calendar of their own.
How it spreads
Red oaks that died of oak wilt the previous summer and fall can form spore mats under their bark. Texas A&M Forest Service says sap-feeding beetles feed on those mats, then fly to fresh wounds on other oaks and infect them. Spring is when that happens.
Why live oaks are at risk
Live oaks grow vast, connected root systems. Once one tree is infected, the fungus can move to its neighbors underground. The Texas Oak Wilt partnership puts the average root spread at about 75 feet a year.
Paint every cut
The Forest Service says to cover or paint wounds on oaks no matter the time of year, and that any kind of paint will do. A thin coat of latex or pruning paint applied right after the cut keeps beetles from finding the wound.
Oaks and hurricane season: plan backward from June 1
NOAA's Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and the National Hurricane Center puts the climatological peak around September 10. The oak wilt window closes the door on oak pruning from February through June. Put those side by side and the conclusion for Houston is simple: storm preparation on oaks, such as removing dead limbs over the house, thinning a crowded crown or clearing branches off the roof, is best booked in the fall and finished by the end of January.
Pines, elms, pecans and most other trees can have dead wood removed any time before June 1. If a storm does break an oak limb between February and June, the hazard should still be removed, with the cut painted immediately.
Crape myrtles: late winter, and lightly
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension names late winter as the time to prune crape myrtles. Just as important is how little they need. AgriLife lists three situations that call for pruning: suckers growing from the base, branches that cross and rub, and limbs touching a roof or other structure. Topping them, which AgriLife calls "crape murder," delays blooms, creates weak limbs where the new shoots appear and leaves knobby scars, and Brazoria County AgriLife adds that repeated topping weakens branch structure and invites pests.
Pecans, pines and other shade trees
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension's home pecan guidance says large pecan trees seldom need major pruning, and that late winter, while the tree is dormant, is the normal time to remove dead wood, low limbs and branches that are in the way or endangering structures or power lines. It also says pruning can be done any time it is necessary.
For pines, elms, maples and other shade trees, the ISA's general guidance applies. Light, routine pruning to remove weak, dead or diseased limbs can be done at any time of year with little effect on the tree. Growth and wound closure are best when pruning happens before the spring growth flush, and heavy pruning of live branches just after that flush should be avoided, especially on weak trees, because the tree has just spent its energy producing new leaves.
What to avoid in the heat
Fine in July, August and September
- Removing dead, broken or diseased limbs on any tree
- Clearing a limb that is resting on the roof or rubbing the house
- Planned oak pruning, now that the February to June window has closed, with every cut painted
Better to put off
- Heavy thinning or reduction that removes a big share of live leaves while the tree is stressed by heat
- Any job that takes more than the ISA's general limit of 25 percent of the crown at once
- Topping, in any month
After a freeze: wait before judging damage
After a hard freeze in Houston, brown leaves on palms, citrus, crape myrtles and young trees tempt people to start cutting. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension advises against it. Its guidance is that dead material left on a plant after a hard freeze insulates the living tissue from later cold, and that pruning too soon can let warm days wake buds below the cut, pushing tender new growth that the next freeze damages.
AgriLife's advice is to wait: dead tissue becomes obvious when the plant breaks dormancy in spring, and pruning at that point does not hurt recovery. If the 10-day forecast shows temperatures staying above freezing, it says acting a little early is reasonable. The exception is safety. A limb that cracked under ice and hangs over the house, the driveway or a walkway should be dealt with now by a tree company, not left for spring.
Booking the work at the right time
If you want oaks trimmed before the end of January, or crape myrtles pruned in late winter, call in the fall. When you speak with the company, tell it the species, what you want done and when, and ask whether it paints oak cuts as Texas A&M Forest Service advises. Ask for a certificate of insurance and the ISA certification number of its arborist before work starts.
Check the company yourself. Texas has no state license for tree trimming or tree removal, so a business card proves very little. Ask the company for a certificate of general liability insurance sent by its insurance agent, proof of workers' compensation coverage, and the ISA certification number of its arborist. A company that sprays or injects trees for hire needs a pesticide license from the Texas Department of Agriculture or its Structural Pest Control Service. You can confirm a certification with the ISA's credential lookup (opens in a new tab).
Tell the assistant the kind of tree and the job you want done. The company you are put through to looks at the tree, quotes its own price and books the work.
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