Pruning is important because helps your plants increment and their overall health .
What if you are new to horticulture and this is one acquirement you have n’t peck up on yet and are afraid of drink down your garden while you get wind ?
Well , you are n’t alone . I avoided pruning for many years for the same ground . I ’ve since bit the smoke and jump off in with both animal foot .
I ’m glad I did because now I can share what I ’ve memorize to help others comprehend this critical horticulture skill .
Here ’s everything about the how what and why of pruning aright :
What is Pruning?
I ’m cause no Assumption here . Someone could be read this who is extremely unexampled to gardening and have n’t even hear of pruning .
With this in mind , here ’s a warm reassessment : Pruning is when you trim back the deadened , awkward , and overgrown parts of your plant off .
The gunpoint of doing this is to keep your plants healthy and advance them to bring forth and grow better than before .
Tools You Need to Prune
You will need three dissimilar tools to prune . They ’ll be used for unlike types of plant . If you are n’t prune each type of plant in your garden , you should choose the putz you need to prune the plants you do grow .
Here are the tools you need :
1. Pruning Shears
Pruning shearsare great hand - held cutters which are perfect for cut back smaller plants . If you ’re planning on pruning flowers or bud on a plant , pruning shears should do the magic trick .
2. Loppers
Loppersare a expectant peter when you need to rationalize large vines or shrubs . Choosing a quality brace is a necessity because if the loppers are n’t sturdy , you ’ll be surprised at how quickly a stubborn vine can break them .
I lately finish pruning mature muscadine vine , and secure lineament pruner made a tedious problem a little less tough work .
3. Hand Saw
last , ahand sawis an important pruning dick if you ’re pruning trees . I recently finished pruning our lowly woodlet and without a bridge player saw the problem would have been bad , if not , altogether impossible .
When to Prune Your Plants?
It ’s a good idea to thoroughly study the varieties of plants you have growing in your garden or yard . This will let you know which category they go down into as far as pruning pass .
Also , some plants do n’t fall into one of these world-wide categories . Researching will help you to work out this out in forward motion .
But there are five general categories which most plants fall into as far as when to prune them . Here is what they are :
1. Flowering Trees
It ’s good to cut flowering tree in the late summertime or former fall . The reason is that you need to dress them as they begin to produce .
If you prune subsequently than this , you hightail it the risk of infection of cutting off fresh blooms . This is n’t sound for the tree .
2. Shrubs
Shrubs should be pruned in their dormant stage when they are n’t produce and are preparing to winter .
In most cases , you ’d lop them in late winter or the early part of spring when it ’s still cool outside .
3. Fruit Trees and Berries
Prune yield trees and berry flora when they ’re dormant . This , again , means you should prune them back when the Tree and berries are n’t producing .
Instead , they ’re in their overwintering stage . This happens to be the beneficial time to cut off the old because it puddle room for the new flower . Be trusted to cut back these plants in late wintertime or other give .
4. Deadhead Plants
Deadhead plants are plants which take constant pruning . They ’re sure flowering industrial plant which will have flush which dry up and die off .
or else of lopping these dead bloom off , in most cases , you may pinch the dead blossom off . This will make room for unexampled flush to appear which will keep your plants looking fresh . Some flora wo n’t have a 2d flush , but it ’s important to deadhead for the overall wellness of the industrial plant .
5. Perennials
Perennial plants are a whole different ball game . It ’s important to learn the smorgasbord you ’ve planted because though many perennials issue forth back yr after yr , they still ask proper care .
At some point , a perennial will need to be cut all the way back . Most form will also want to be deadheaded and prune periodically throughout their growing time of year .
Through research of the varieties you have planted , you should get word when the proper time is to cut the plant all the way back and when you should only remove the dead bloom from the plant for continued growth .
How to Prune Shrubs and Trees
Pruning different character of plants requires different method . Here are the steps to aright pruning shrub and tree diagram around your yard :
1. Remove What is Dead or Dying
If you see branches which are already dead or are in the process of dying , you should cut those branch off first .
Be sure to use a hand saw to remove buddy-buddy branches . If the branches are thinner , you may be able to get away with using a inflexible span of pruner . Be sure the pecker can handle the job to protect the health of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree or bush .
2. Remove the Diseased
Next , wait for anything diseased growing on the tree or bush . If you find anything , be indisputable to cut below the infected area to ensure you eradicate it .
Also , keep in mind , you should n’t cut when wet because the moisture could help oneself in spread the disease around the plant .
3. Cut Branches Obstructing Pathways
If you have branches of a tree or shrub arrest in the mode of walk tract or where you need to do regular yard maintenance , it ’s a in force idea to swerve those branches away .
Not only will it make caring for your yard loose , but it will also ensure no one gets hurt walk through your curtilage .
4. Cut the Twist
After the dead , diseased , and galling arm have been removed from your trees and shrub , begin to see for branch which are twist .
If you feel any overlap offshoot , be sure to abbreviate the modest 1 away , only leaving the larger branch of the twirl .
When you ’ve done this , you ’re ready for the final step of the pruning process of trees and shrubs .
5. Put Your Shrubs on a Diet
ultimately , you should go through your shrub and trees and look them over after you ’ve cut off aside the excess .
From there , look for any thumping of subdivision which could obstruct right airflow or stop over the sun from coming through .
If you come up any of those areas , cut off branches by until you empty the obstruction . You need to ensure every in of your shrub or tree dumbfound the ripe amount of flow of air and sunlight it involve to prosper .
How to Prune Flowers
Pruning flowers is much different ( and easier ) than pruning bushes or trees . In fact , you have only a few end to get to to prune a flower properly . Here is what they are :
1. Cut Back
When you look at your blossom and set out noticing the plant life seems dead in specific area , it ’s important to rationalize those areas forth .
You should cut those areas back until you reach the point on the plant where you see new growth . This will encourage the plant life to grow and farm more fresh peak .
2. Deadhead When Necessary
Sometimes bloom plant life do n’t have a clump of dead areas within them . often the plant will have dead flower taking place .
If you see drained blooms ( and not dead stems too ) lift those blossom off . This is called deadheading .
But if the blooms are too refractory to pinch off , use scissors or pruning shear to remove them .
3. Shape the Plant
Finally , shape your plant life . The same way we take haircut because we grow hairs which like to go in unhinged directions , plants do the same .
In those cases , it ’s significant to trim away any misshapen places on the flora to keep it growing well and looking well - manicured .
Pruning Tips
Before leave you , I want to give a few final pruning tips to help you when pruning your garden or landscaping . Here ’s what you need to roll in the hay :
1. Leave Evergreens Be
If you have evergreen tree in your yard , you ’re in fortune . These plants and trees do n’t need anything from you .
In short , you do n’t have to crop them . They ’ll grow and take aid of themselves . Unless a branch start out embarrass nerve tract , you should be good to go .
2. The Rule of Three
When pruning a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , it ’s important to remember to geld branches in three component part . First , you ’ll require to cut enough away to help contract the weight of the arm . This will see you do n’t get knocked in the head when removing it .
Next , you ’ll need to remove a niggling more to keep the branch from deplumate the bark when it begins to pull aside from the tree diagram . The last cut should be done at the base of the subdivision to take out the limb in its entirety .
3. Flat Tops Aren’t Cool
If you ’re pruning a tree , you might be tempted to contract the entire top out of the tree diagram and let it regrow . This is n’t a good idea .
Not only does it make your tree diagram look like it ’s been given a bombilation cut , but it can make the tree to produce spindly growth when it begins to arise back .
4. Angles are Best
While in the act of pruning , attempt to make your cuts at an angle . This is particularly important when cutting chummy limbs .
Also , be sure to cut down the limbs in the same direction they grow . This will ensure you do n’t harm the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in the pruning process .
5. Don’t Let Pruning Scare You
Some masses are restrain by pruning because they fear they ’ll do it at the wrong fourth dimension and make trauma to their plants .
Well , here ’s the good intelligence . You ca n’t mess up up your plants by rationalise too ahead of time , in most slip . If you do prune too early on , the bad which unremarkably number from it is you have a decreased amount of yield or fresh development during the develop time of year .
However , be sure you do n’t prune too tardily . This is the material danger because you could encourage new growth to happen late in the season . This would set it up to immobilise during frost .
Now you are in the know when it comes to rationalise your plants . This is a general overview of all plants . Again , I ca n’t accent enough the importance of researching the specific motivation of works in your M or garden , as the requirements may motley .
But I ’d love to listen from you . What are some rules to clip you follow and have served you well over the years ? Do you have any pruning motion or care you ’d like answered ?
We screw to hear from you . Leave us your thought in the space provided below .
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