BY JIMMY TOMPKINS
PROPER PRUNING
P
runing, while not necessarily the most enjoyable of the landscaping tasks, is important not only for the beauty of trees, shrubs, and plantings, but also for their health, and the safety of others. It is the practice of removing their roots, buds, or branches that are dead or dying due to pests, disease, and lack of sunlight, or trimming them for aesthetic purposes and to encourage healthy plant development. A regular pruning schedule protects your plants, people, and property from injury, bugs, and damage.
PRUNING BENEFITS
– MAINTAIN SAFETY: Remove low-growing branches if they impede passing vehicles or obscure oncoming traffic from view. You may also need to take out split or broken branches before they have the chance to come crashing down on a person, car, or building. It’s wise, too, to prune out low-hanging, whip-like branches (especially those with thorns) that may strike passersby. – ALTER OR REJUVENATE GROWTH: Neglected, overgrown shrubs can sometimes be turned into small, multi-trunked trees if you remove their lower limbs. This may be a better approach than digging out the shrub and planting another in its place. 32
CIRCA Magazine
– DIRECT GROWTH: Pruning influences the direction in which a plant grows. Each time you make a cut, you stop growth in one direction and encourage it in another. This principle is important to keep in mind when you train young trees to develop a strong branching structure. – REMOVE UNDESIRABLE GROWTH: Prune out unwanted growth periodically. Cut out wayward branches, take out thin growth, and remove suckers (stems growing up from the roots) and water sprouts (upright shoots growing from the trunk and branches). – PROMOTE PLANT HEALTH: Trees and shrubs stay healthier if branches that are diseased, dead, pest-ridden, or rubbing together are removed. – CREATE PARTICULAR SHAPES: You can prune a line of closely planted trees or shrubs as a unit to create a hedge. – PRODUCE MORE FLOWERS OR FRUITS: Flowering plants and some fruit trees are pruned to increase the yield of blossoms and fruit to improve their quality. You’ll need, for example, to remove spent flowers from roses throughout their bloom time. For some fruit trees, you’ll make small, precise cuts each dormant season. Although this sort of pruning sometimes ranks as a tedious chore, remember that your efforts will pay off in lavish blooms and generous crops of fruit at harvest time.
WHEN TO PRUNE Pruning at the wrong time won’t damage plants, but it can sacrifice that year’s flowers or fruits. As rules of thumb: – Prune spring-flowering shrubs and trees immediately after the flowers fade. – Prune summer-blooming trees and shrubs in winter or early spring, before new growth emerges. – Late summer pruning encourages new growth that might not harden before the cold winter temperatures settle in.
SUMMER PRUNING Summer is a good time to prune those plants that blossomed early in the spring. For instance, you may want to prune your azaleas or forsythia plants. Summer pruning of spring blooming plants allows you to manage their size and/or improve their structure, while still allowing plenty of time for the plant to develop flower buds that will bloom when spring arrives again next year. If you aren’t a fan of frequent hedge pruning, then trimming shrubs during the summer season is a good idea. Typically, they grow back less vigorously after being pruned this time of year than when pruned during the spring months, with their cooler temperatures. This potentially allows more time between hedge pruning sessions. Additionally, you should go ahead and cut out the watersprouts on your trees while you have the pruning shears out. Like hedges, watersprouts grow back less robustly when they are pruned in summer.
| July • August • September 2021
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