Hi, 

We have checked a number of our resources and all say to prune Magnolia anytime from mid-summer to early winter. Some trees 'bleed' more sap at certain times a year which could make it difficult for the wounds to callous over. Depending on bloom time you don't want to prune off flower buds too, but usually if you are just removing branches to raise the crown of the tree that wouldn't matter. You can reference this chart for pruning guidance.  https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/ef43d1d9-625c-4e64-a7bc-c07a05ce4f07/content

Let us know if you have further questions. 

Emily

Dear mikeradike, here's the response to your question:

Hi, 

We have checked a number of our resources and all say to prune Magnolia anytime from mid-summer to early winter. Some trees 'bleed' more sap at certain times a year which could make it difficult for the wounds to callous over. Depending on bloom time you don't want to prune off flower buds too, but usually if you are just removing branches to raise the crown of the tree that wouldn't matter. You can reference this chart for pruning guidance.  https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/ef43d1d9-625c-4e64-a7bc-c07a05ce4f07/content

Let us know if you have further questions. 

Emily

Need to reply to the expert? Click the link below, or simply reply to this email.

Click here to view #0128019

Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

We hope this response has sufficiently answered your questions. If not, please do not send another email. Instead, reply to this email or login to your account for a complete archive of all your support requests and responses.

If you can you may want to wait more until June but only for flowering reasons (depending on which type of Magnolia you have and when it blooms). When the tree is flowering it is using its energy into producing the blooms and it could cause extra stress to the tree.