An old timer told me I was pruning oaks too late in the spring and he was right about the wilt

Last April up in Portland I had a big red oak job and I figured I could squeeze it in before the leaves fully popped. This 70 year old guy stopped by my truck and said I should hold off or I'd risk oak wilt spreading through the fresh cuts. I shrugged it off thinking he was old school worrying about nothing. Well the client called me 3 weeks later saying the whole crown looked sickly and I had to go back and treat it. Cost me an extra $400 in fungicide and a full afternoon of cleanup. Has anyone else gotten pushback from older guys about timing and later found out they had a point?

3 comments

3 Comments

kai83921d ago

Whoa that story about your buddy losing the whole pin oak is brutal! Can't believe he had to pay for a full takedown after trying to save a few bucks on timing.

logan_anderson4021d ago

Heard a buddy lost a whole backyard pin oak doing the same thing and had to pay to have it taken down.

abby_fisher21d ago

People always think they can save a few bucks doing tree work themselves but don't see the whole picture until it's too late. Seems like every season someone in the neighborhood tries to trim a branch with a dull handsaw and ends up bringing down a whole section of their roof. That little bit of shade isn't worth the cost of a new roof or a tree removal bill that runs thousands of dollars. Sometimes the cheapest way out is just paying a pro from the start.