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["Alan Haigh" <alandhaigh@gmail.com>]

Years ago I read of a German study that confirmed that snapped branches heal more quickly than pruner cut branches if there is no wood splitting or bark tearing beyond the break.  The explanation was that snapping seperates cells while a sharp pruner damages many of the remaining cells by splitting them.  I am happy to snap small annual wood any time of the year or cut them with a sharp pruner because whatever difference seems miniscule-do what's quickest.

 

As far as stressing a tree, one of the most stressful things you can do is leave too much fruit and leave it unpicked after ripeness.  As far as summer pruning goes only excessive pruning of 2 year or older wood has ever noticably stressed a tree in my experience and this was in weak growing trees.