Pruning plants incorrectly can ruin your tree diagram and bush .
Pruning plants can seem like a intimidating chore if you ’re not indisputable how much to clip off or when to make your cuts to tamewayward industrial plant growth . The defective pruning blunders can cause unnecessary plant focus and result in an unsightly mess . However , most trees , shrubs , and other flora with woody maturation are live and often bounce back from a pruning job go wonky . But if you guide clear of the follow leaning of vulgar mistakes when lop plant — and get tips for abettor way to pruneinstead — your entire landscape will benefit .
Marty Baldwin
Credit:Marty Baldwin
1. Pruning Away Developing Flower or Fruiting Buds
dilute off developing buds is easily the most common error masses make whenpruning blossoming tree and shrubs . It does n’t harm the works long term , but the results are visible for an integral growing season . plant produce efflorescence and fruit bud at different clock time throughout the twelvemonth . Some plants that bloom in former spring , such ascertain types of hydrangeas , bring forth their bloom bud the previous summer . Pruning such a hydrangeain early bounce bump off the soon - to - open flower buds . Other flowering shrubs develop blossom buds in leaping for bloom in summer and fall .
in force approaching : Here ’s a universal guidepost : If a tree or bush blooms in leap or other summertime , it likely create its flower buds during the previous maturate time of year . Wait to prune spring and summertime flowering plants until after they bloom . If a plantflowers in summer solstice or fall , it likely produces blossom buds during the current produce season and can be pruned in early bounce . An exception to this guideline isfruit tree . Even though they bloom in spring , most fruit trees should be prunedin late winter .
2. Removing Too Much Growth at One Time
It ’s tempting to overhaul an extensively overgrown tree or bush in onepruning session . The desire to bring the plant back into shape , meld it with the surrounding landscape , and finish the Book of Job can run to taking off too much growth at once . Thriving green growth patronize the works ’s branch and root systems . A drastic reduction in solid food - producing green increment adversely affects all parts of the plant . Extreme pruning can end up kill a plant .
good Approach : When pruning an overgrown tree or shrub , never remove more than one - third of the flora ’s massduring a develop season . Prune very overgrown plant over a duad of three long time .
3. Topping a Plant to Reduce Height
Topping is never anappropriate way to prune treesand is rarely a good choice for reducing the sizing of large shrubs . Cutting back large branches promiscuously to reduce their distance cause a legion of new root to emerge from buds just below the cut . The fresh growth is typically weakly attached to the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and soon becomes a hazard as each arm pull ahead size and is progressively susceptible to hurt .
Better Approach : Reduce a tree or shrub ’s sizing by intentionally cut branches back to the adjoining arm in the case of a tree diagram or back to ground level for shrub . Another method for reducing the size of a tree is to cut a too - long branch back to a lateral branch that is one - third to one - half the diam of the arm you are polish off . This sidelong arm soon takes over the part of the remote branch , producing healthy growth .
4. Pruning in Late Summer or Autumn
It ’s tempting to tidy up up the landscape painting inpreparation for winterby pruning in previous summer or descent . stand the urge . Pruning late in the rise time of year can produce a thrill of tender fresh increase . The new growth is not sufficiently hardy to hold out wintertime ’s freeze and thaw cycles . Decay can apace set in , vaporize the unexampled increment and creeping into nearby branches .
Better overture : Don’t prune after September 1 in most realm . Get a startle start onspring garden choresbypruning treesand shrubs in late winter .
5. Applying Tar or Paint to a Pruning Wound
You ’ve probably seen gob or key slathered on trunks or large branches where someone removed a branch . Once mean to prevent disease , these topical treatments in reality keep wet in the injury region , creating the staring environs fordisease organisms to flourish .
Better glide slope : Allow pruning wounding to heal of course . Do not give any old salt or paint to the wound land site .
6. Removing Large Branches with a Single Cut
Pruning a large branch want multiple cuts to ensure safe for both the nurseryman and the tree . Removing a large branch with a single swing can result in the branch moving or pivot during the sawing outgrowth and falling back on you when it separates from the tree . Using a single cut on a large branch also heightens the chance of the to - be - pruned branch attract off nearby bark layer and damage the tree diagram .
good Approach : utilize the three - cutting off pruning method for branches larger than 2 inches in diameter . The first cut is an undercut about 5 inches from the trunk or adjoining offshoot . Make the undercut about midway through the branch . The second slash take place a few inch beyond the cut and removes the branch ’s weight . Finally , the third cut dispatch the stump that ’s left . ignore off the stump just before the offshoot collar — the somewhat swollen expanse where the branch attach to the tree . Make the deletion at a 45 - arcdegree angle .
For pruning jobs that require standing on a ladder or when you require to prune orcut down very big tree , your best bet is to call in the professional . tree surgeon are prepare to safely and decently handle pruning woody plants .
Credit: Marty Baldwin
7. Pruning in a Hurry
good pruning takes prison term . Never hotfoot a pruning job . You ’ll of necessity make cut that could take age to correct , or you ’ll miss fix necessary cuts to a right structural trouble before it ’s too late .
Better approaching : Make the sluttish cuts first . Remove utter , diseased , or damaged Mrs. Henry Wood . withdraw branch that are crossing , rubbing , or grow into each other . Then step back and appear at the plant from all side . Remove branch to their cornerstone to boil down the size of it of the plant . Whenpruning trees , take away branches that are attached to the trunk at a narrow slant — these infirm unions are likely to break off in a storm . Be aware not to remove more than one - third of the plant ’s pile .
