April 2011
Pruning Tips from Kathy B.
It’s finally spring, although I confess it hardly feels like it as I write this. It’s too cold to do much in the garden yet, but it’s the perfect time to clean and sharpen your pruning shears and loppers, dress warmly and get out there and start pruning.
Almost any tree or shrub can be pruned now without damage to the plant, although some plants such as maples and birches will bleed a distressing amount of sap. HOWEVER, if you prune spring bloomers such as forsythia, lilac or rhododendron, you will sacrifice this year’s flowers. If you are really trying to rejuvenate an old leggy shrub, this is often the best way to go because the plant has maximal energy reserves stored in its root system right now. All that stored energy will go to new branches and vegetation which is ultimately what you’re trying to achieve with a rejuvenation pruning. For normal maintenance pruning however, it’s best to hold off on pruning these plants until after they finish blooming.
Here are the basic rules of pruning
- Dead, damaged or diseased branches first. If you’re not sure if it’s dead, scrape away a little bark with your fingernail if its still alive, it will show green.
- Crossed or rubbing branches next.
- Then, prune for form the trickiest one to achieve.
Different types of cuts will achieve different ends. Cutting all the way back to the main branch or trunk is a thinning cut which will increase the vigor of the branches that remain. Pruning for overall form should consist mostly of thinning cuts. Pruning the end of a branch is a heading cut and will increase the bushiness of the remaining buds on the branch Christmas trees are pruned this way to promote the full bushy Christmas trees that sell well.
Well, then, what constitutes good form? This is where practice comes in. Take a cut, step back, take a cut, step back. If you’re not stepping back to take a look, you’re doing it wrong. One good thing to keep in mind when pruning is that you’re not hurting the plant by pruning it. It will grow back and probably faster than you thought it would.
