Pruning can be grievous territorial dominion for novel gardeners . Walking around the garden in bounce we grow anxious to “ straighten out up”treesand shrub when in fact the best medical specialty for the plant may be to do nothing at all . And as every “ ripe ” nurseryman learn , leaving it alone is sometimes the best pick .

But there are definitely times when pruning is necessary . ignore , overgrown shrub that vex hazards to landscape gardening equipment or passersby need to be tamed ; diseased or damage limbs on trees should be edit off for safety understanding and to preserve the wellness of the tree ; some trees and shrubs postulate to be pruned per year to develop just yield , more heyday and keep disease . How to dress and when to prune reckon on the species of thetree or shrub , the time of class , and the reason for pruning .

“ Pruning , like any other acquisition , require knowing what you are doing to achieve success . The old estimate that anyone with a chain saw or a pruning sawing machine can be a landscape lopper is far from the truth . More trees are kill or ruined each class from improper pruning than by plague . think of that pruning is the removal or reduction of certain plant parts that are not required , that are no longer in effect , or that are of no function to the industrial plant . It is done to supply additional energy for the development of flowers , fruit , and limbs that remain on the plant . ”

Why the timing of pruning matters

Each bound , trees and shrubs start the annual procedure of ontogenesis . New growing emerges on the plant , which is referred to as “ softwood ” because it is indeed flabby . The Modern wood is very pliant and to a arcdegree , can be bent without breaking . Softwood is not yet mature and can not withstand freeze – this is whyperennialsare sometimes damage by a late frost .

Throughout summertime , the softwood is converted into hardwood and becomes stiffer . The bark thicken and the color changes from greenish to brown , or something close to it . The season ’s emergence , now hardwood , is able-bodied to withstand nibbles from animal and damage from wicked conditions .

It seems counterintuitive , but pruning encourages the plant to grow unexampled growth to replace what is remove , and the new increase can appear anywhere on the plant . When a plant is pruned in fountain , the deal has time to senesce into hardwood before wintertime . But if trim too late in the time of year , the unexampled wood may not have time to grow and may cash in one’s chips off over winter .

Equipment needed for pruning

belated surrender or early wintertime is an excellent clip to give the blades on pruning tool a tune - up by sharpen and oil them to preclude rusting . Blades of pruning equipment should be keep as tart as possible to control clean cut and should be disinfected with bleach after each employment to forestall spreading disease .

When to prune trees and shrubs

Pruning is substantive for assert the wellness , size , and form of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and shrubs . During the first few season afterplanting a tree , pruning help it develop a scaffold of strong , well - spaced branches with blanket slant of attachment to the trunk . In many cases , trees that come apart and fall during stormsare those that were never pruned correctly ( or at all ) to develop a strong structure .

When to prune shrubs count on the plant ’s flowering habit . Some shrub develop prime on “ new growth ” – stems emerge in spring and summer , and flower bud are set and blossom later in the season . On these plants , pruning ask to take stead before flush bud are set .

Other shrubs bring forth flowers on the former year ’s outgrowth , aka “ sometime growth ” . These shrubs typically flower March through May and the blossom bud are produced the previous evenfall . As new growth appears , the bloom bloom ( forsythias , lilac , and azaleas for example ) . These shrubs should be pruned 4 - 6 weeks after florescence . If you prune these shrubs in late wintertime , there ’s an fantabulous chance you ’ll cut off out branches that check flush bud .

On the other hand , shrub like Dogwoods , acquire for their foliage , should be snip in early spring before newfangled foliage come along . If a bush is non - flowering , it ’s treated like one that blooms on unexampled growth .

Most trees should be pruned in late winter

Most deciduous tree should be pruned in tardy wintertime or very former spring prior to bud pause when the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is dormant . Dormancy is the prison term in the plant ’s seasonal cycle when it has stop all young increase and has devise itself to survive winter . No leaves are present during dormancy , offering the estimable perspective of configuration , harm , disease , and ontogenesis problems . A Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree grows apace in the leap and pruning before unexampled growth begins earmark pruning wounds to heal speedily , quash the chance of damage from pests and disease . Fruit treesshould always be rationalize before they break bud ( leaf out ) in spring .

TIP : hydrangea can be a picayune confusing when it comes to pruning , as their stems remain brown until just before leafing out . This makes it very difficult to narrate what is old wood or new wood in former spring . Most gardeners grow Bigleaf Hydrangeas . If you prune this assortment too early in spring , or in tardy wintertime , you ’ll issue out the growth that contains the current year ’s flower buds . To maximise bloom , wait until new foliage commence to grow in leap and only then clip the drained wood with no green blossom bud or foliation . But ( and there ’s always a but in gardening ) , when to prune also reckon on the species of hydrangea you ’re growing . Check out this fantabulous primer from the University of New Hampshire onwhen to prune unlike varieties of hydrangea .

Prune these shrubs after they flower:

Prune these shrubs in early spring before buds break and new foliage appears:

To acquire when to rationalize your favorite shrub , download this calendar from Virginia Tech .

When to prune hedges

Pruning hedgescan be done throughout the season . Once the hedge is formally pruned to the hope size and shape , it should be cut back whenever it adds 6 - 8 inches of growth . This usually occur double in the season , in leap and mid - summer . But the hedge should only be clip back to within 2 inches of the previous pruning , to maintain respectable emergence and avoid bare spots .

Overgrown hedges should be renewed by take away up to one - third of the oldest , thickest stems or trunks , down to the ground . This encourages new increase from the roots . Hedges can tolerate this form of aggressive pruning once per year . A hard cut of meat like this can also be used to rejuvenate most overgrown deciduous bush in former spring like forsythia , spirea , and cane - growth viburnums . Note that this sort of hard snub may give that season ’s flowers , but you ’ll have a more manageable , attractive bush .

Evergreens like Arborvitae , Pines , Firs , and Spruces rarely need pruning except to hack out growth defect , and damaged or pathologic growth . Yewsand Junipers should be pruned in early natural spring before newfangled growth begin and should never be pruned in fall . accrue pruning of evergreen invite winter wound .

Tip : To make Arborvitaes look fuller , hit the Apical buds at the very top of the industrial plant in early bounce . This forces the industrial plant to create lateral shoot further down the stem which gives the plant have a shaggy-coated appearance . This technique should not be used on other evergreens .

Types of pruning cuts

“ The two main types of cuts made during a pruning operation are reduce slash and head cuts . In most cases , both thinning and aim are used to encourage moderately vigorous growth in the correct guidance . Thinning cuts move out entire arm back to the trunk , to main branch or to the earth . This opens a plant up to allow good light penetration and aviation circulation , while maintain the overall word form . head cuts remove limb tips back to lateral buds or small side branches . Generally , two to four young outgrowth arise from the bud or offshoot just below the heading cut , increase offset density ( flesh 1 ) . Often , when cutting slash are made , the remaining branches will reply by arise long and leggy . Heading some arm after thinning will often reduce this legginess . Also , when some upper ramification show the potential to compete with the terminal drawing card for dominance , heading them back will encourage the ontogenesis of a unattackable loss leader . ”

Heading cuts

Pinching , shearing , and toppingare all different types of channelize cuts . With a heading cut , the mature tip of the stem or offset is slay , which stimulates the lower bud to begin arise . When used cautiously , heading cuts encourage branching . But using aim track like topping to reduce the size of trees and shrubs can for good harm their construction and wellness . If direct cuts like topping are necessary for a plant to fit in a location , it may be wise to to replace it with a more appropriate sizing plant .

twitch – removing the active grow tips of stanch with your fingers ( hence “ abstract ” ) – stimulates the growth of lower buds on the stem . This should be done early in springtime . This pruning technique is often used on the soft new growth of annual andherbaceous perennialsto encourage more forking and bloom .

Shearingis used on hedging , where many dozens of heading cuts are made to make shrubs appear thicker than they would be naturally .

Thinning cuts(reduction or pearl - crotch deletion ) thin out the length of a ramification back to a lateral offset . This eccentric of pruning redirects the plant ’s energy to stimulate stronger ontogeny of the existing shoot rather than in mold Modern branches . Thinning excision are used to increase calorie-free incursion , improve structure , or decrease height .

Removal cutsare cutting cuts that remove branches all the way of life back to the chief theme or trunk .

Pruning tips and techniques

Here is an excellent video from North Dakota State University on how to cut tree .

Sources : University of Minnesota Extension , Iowa State University , Penn State University Extension , Kansas State Research and Extension , University of Missouri Extension , Texas A&M Agrilife Extension , University of New Hampshire Extension , University of Georgia Extension .