As a hobby gardener, do you feel the same way? As soon as a time window opens in the schedule to devote to pruning the ball maple, the thermometer drops below freezing point. Now the question is whether cutting in frost damages an Acer platanoides Globosum. Read an informed answer.
Can you prune a maple tree when it's frosty?
A ball maple can be cut in light frost (down to -5°C), as long as the crown has shed at least half of its leaves and the weather is dry, slightly overcast. In severe frost, consequential damage such as frozen shoot tips can occur.
Light frost is not an obstacle
As the profile tells interested home gardeners, ball maple is a refined breed of Norway maple. Early budding and strong sap flow during the growing season are typical for this type of maple. These two characteristics dictate the time window for pruning. The following criteria must be taken into account when choosing a date:
- The autumn leaf fall has unmistakably begun
- The crown has lost at least half of its leaves
- The temperatures no longer fall below freezing point to -5 degrees Celsius
- The weather is dry, slightly overcast without bright sunshine
In the Central European climate, the period for pruning the globe maple extends from October/November to the end of January/mid-February. The mark of -5 degrees Celsius is considered the lowest level of the possible temperature scale. If this limit is not reached, consequential damage is inevitable, such as frozen shoot tips. The plant sap freezes, expands and causes the tissue and bark to burst.
Wound closure only in exceptional cases – This is how it works
Professional shape and preservation pruning includes thinning out dead wood. This can result in cuts the diameter of a 2 euro coin or larger on older maple trees. Although tree pruning experts are increasingly critical of wound closure, it is beneficial in this case.
To protect the valuable cambium wood under the bark from frost damage, apply a thin layer of tree balm to the edges of the wound (€14.00 at Amazon). The inside of the cut remains exposed because there is a risk of fungal infections under an airtight seal. As soon as growth begins in spring, the cambium wood, which can divide, overflows the wound and thus sets the natural healing process in motion.
Tip
In order to determine the ideal time to relocate maple trees, the temperature level is one of the fundamental criteria. Every transplant is accompanied by pruning to compensate for the lost root mass. In this case, too, choose a date with temperatures around freezing point or warmer.
