Birch Pendula Youngii

I have a Pendula Birch Youngii which I would like to trim a bit and to take some off the top, would it cause any damage at this time of the year, if so when would be the best time to do it.

Any help would be appreciated as I would not like to cause any damage to it.

Maurice

 

Hi Maurice,

Generally it is best to prune trees out of the growing season, when the tree has lost its leaves. There are certain species and scenarios where it is best to prune in the spring or summer, but autumn pruning for birches should be OK.

However, silver birches do not take well to pruning at all, so you may find the tree producing plenty of new epicormic growth from the branches you cut.