Pruning

More info on Pruning

Did you notice a bunch of water sprouts, suckers, and undesirable growth all over your trees and shrubs? Well, that’s because you may have pruned your plants during the dormant season. I would like to give you some insight on pruning. As plants grow during the season they make food and grow. Toward the end of the season, when the leaves start to drop and plants slow down, they start to store energy in their roots. Prune during the growing season. So if you prune before the plant starts to actively grown, when deciduous trees and shrubs are still leafless, you will get water sprouts. So timing your pruning will reduce water spout growth. I like to do all my pruning in the summer just after the spring growth flush and before fall. In some cases, I prune just after the plant blooms. I like to stop pruning in August or early September. Another rule of thumb is never prune more than a third of the tree at one time. Understand when plants get done blooming and how the plant grows naturally when making your cuts. Please never top your plants. Always have sharp and sterile tools. In my earlier blogs I went over the right cuts. It is possible to fix your past mistakes, and I can tell you I made lots! That’s how you learn, right? Visualize the plant growing in a nice natural form. Some of the water sprouts can revert back into productive branches again. To do this, make thinning cuts. At the cluster, prune out the worst of the bunch and the one you keep, make sure it fits in your overall plan. It will take a few years to start getting it back in shape. I have some clients that had real bad cases of badly pruned plants and now we’re turning them back into beautiful plants again!

If you hire someone to do pruning for you, make sure they are trained in pruning. Always find out if they are licensed and insured. Check. It is way better to do it right the first time than have to waste time fixing the problem later. It will save you money and your plants. Plus you can enjoy your garden!

More info on pruning: I highly recommend Cass Turnbull’s Guide to pruning. Check out Plant Amnesty! Also, the Master Gardeners have publications for sale at their office. Give them a call and they can steer you in the right direction. You too can become a master pruner!