Lauren Kurtz.

Southern live oaks are found growing in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 through Southern live oak are susceptible to the introduction of disease and pest problems through. You can prune a live oak tree yourself, but prune sparingly.

They generally don't need a lot of pruning and are slow to recover if pruned excessively. Step 1 Remove any diseased or dead branches. May 08, Trimming Branches – You want to trim branches that are diseased, rub against other branches or other structures nearby and branches that grow vertical (live oak branches typically grow horizontally and vertical branches hinder that natural growth), remembering to cut flush with the trunk or other branch connected to treeclearing.barted Reading Time: 2 mins.