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Fix it Plant maintenance
Prepare to prune Have your secateurs, shears and loppers at the ready – it’s time to trim and tidy in the garden
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utumn is a busy season in the pruning calendar, and a good snip back now will help plants stay strong and healthy. Here’s what will require a reshape before winter sets in.
Words Jane Wrigglesworth. Photography (shrubs, top) Alamy Stock Photo, Getty Images. Some photographs feature products from suppliers other than Bunnings.
EXPERT TIP Clean your tools between jobs to prevent diseases spreading from plant to plant. If a tree is noticeably diseased, sterilise your tools between cuts. Dip your pruning tools in a 10 per cent bleach solution or wipe the blades with a methylated spirits-soaked rag
1 McGregor’s ‘Ergo’ bypass secateurs, $29.98, I/N: 0160434. 2 Yates ‘PruneTec’ pruning & grafting sealant, $34.49/200ml, I/N: 0322861. 3 Fiskars ‘PowerGear X’ 80cm LX98 bypass lopper, $108, I/N: 0323222. 4 Fiskars ‘Powergear X’ large bypass pruner, $54.88, I/N: 8908620. Some products are not available at all Bunnings stores, but may be ordered.
Tip Prune stems just above the node at a 45º angle
Herbaceous perennials Herbaceous perennials are nonwoody plants that die down in winter and grow again in spring. Their roots remain alive over the colder months and send up new shoots as the weather heats up. Herbaceous plants include alstroemerias, echinaceas, delphiniums, peonies and salvias. Once flowering has finished and foliage begins to turn brown, use secateurs to remove dead or browning stems and foliage. Cut right back to the plant’s base. Mediterranean shrubs Lavender, rosemary and cistus benefit from an annual prune to keep them compact. Plants left unpruned can become ‘leggy’, producing fewer flowers and sparser foliage at the base. Use secateurs to cut plants back by one-third in early autumn. Plants won’t reflower if cut back into old wood.
Woody shrubs and evergreen trees Prune shrubs and trees in early autumn to ensure the new growth has time to harden off before winter. “Loppers are more powerful than pruners and more accurate than saws, so are ideal for cutting larger branches,” says Bruce Underwood, NZ sales manager for Fiskars. “Trees recover more quickly from larger cuts when they are smooth and clean cut and don’t damage the branch collar, or the ‘shoulder’ branch and the trunk.” If a tree’s branch is large, remove the bulk of the branch first and then cut closer to the trunk. “If you cut close to the trunk from the start and the branch falls, it can damage the tree,” says Bruce. “To cut the remaining part of the branch, cut downwards at a slight outward angle, about 2cm away from the trunk.” }
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