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PRUNING
The idea of pruning anything, can be daunting and downright frightening. Like ROSES?
or even your Perennials?
First, let's see, what it is, why we prune and how.
WHAT IS PRUNING?
Pruning is really just cutting away specific branches to make the plant ( tree, shrub, bush, rose etc) healthier or to manipulate it's growth.
BUT....
A few words of caution:
If you over-prune in the midst of a growing cycle, taking too much foliage, the tree or shrub cannot get its nutrients from the sun through photosynthesis. This can lower the plant's defence mechanism and weaken it, leaving it open to insects and disease.
Reducing leaf cover also affects the loss of nutrients to the roots..
It's the circle of life... leaves to roots.
Better to remove small amounts of live foliage more often than taking a lot at once.... just a third at one time.
DON'T PRUNE newly planted trees and shrubs the first year.
Let the roots establish first, and the plant will concentrate on more leaf tissue (nutrients) from the sun. Nutrients that regulate growth (carbohydrates or sugars) are found in the leaves and support root growth and strength.
So...Know exactly why you are pruning and what you are trying to achieve...
Ask what the plant is supposed to look like - its habit and how it wants to grow.
Hedges are often pruned or trimmed for a more formal or ornamental look and pruning thickens the growth and keeps it tidy.
Fruit trees are pruned to keep them healthy and productive.
Flowering Shrubs and bushes like roses, are pruned not only for health, but for blooms and fullness.
PRUNING FOR THE WRONG REASONS
WHY DO WE PRUNE?
NOT because our pruners are sharp.
NOR should we prune to manage or control the size and shape of plant beyond its own natural habit. If you want a small tree or shrub, plant one. Don't think you can prune a tree to keep it small when it wants to grow tall and wide... Know before you plant.
Some cities and towns are quite savage when it comes to chopping limbs from trees so they'll fit into unplanned urban need for power lines.
PRUNE FOR THE RIGHT REASON
Prune specifically for that plant and its needs -
Pruning can balance the growth of your tree or shrub
Pruning encourages new growth and the production of fruit or blooms
Pruning can often fix a broken branch or one rubbing against another....
see more on tree and shrub pruning here.
Don't prune a plant with an upright habit into a spreading ground cover. Choosing the right tree for your garden is one of the most important decisions you can make.
Prune....
PERENNIAL PLANTS (even annuals)
And what about tools?
See this page on tree pruning....
ROSES(are easy)
