When can I cut back (prune?) my damson tree?

rosie383

I have a damson tree just outside the back door. It has expanded a fair bit in the last few years since we bought our house. It's now as high as the upstairs windows and the branches have loads of smaller ones sprouting off them.

When I google it, advice is to prune it in spring to avoid some diseases but I have blue tits taking an interest in the bird box on the trunk and we do get a lot of birds. Obviously I don't want to be cutting it in the spring because of the birds.

When can I cut it back? And how drastic should I be?

Davesnave

You shouldn't do it now, because you run the risk of silver leaf disease getting into the cuts, which won't heal fast enough.



Ideally, June or July is the best time, or maybe August to give the birds a chance.

rosie383

If I do cut it back now, how bad is silver leaf disease? I didnt think to cut it back in the summer as I would have lost all the fruit.

Davesnave

If you do it now, paint on a product called Arbrex to stop diseases entering the cut. It's been proved of no great value for anything else, but it's useful stuff if you can't wait.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Solabiol-Arbrex-Seal-Heal-Yellow/dp/B07BWZDDJX/ref=pd_cp_86_1/258-5118072-6572120?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07BWZDDJX&pd_rd_r=e92c7fac-0e3c-4a8a-9c63-6dfa7a64a6e9&pd_rd_w=JQnYk&pd_rd_wg=AVDJR&pf_rd_p=1ed602c2-81bc-4963-a32e-87d65a0bdbac&pf_rd_r=AHJAVTSE7VBNQTP505ED&psc=1&refRID=AHJAVTSE7VBNQTP505ED


You really don't want silver leaf. One of my trees has it and it's going for firewood soon!