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Pruning 101- Part I

What, Why, & When?

ROP Nursery Greenhouse & ROP Landscape Maintenance

By: Mrs. Deanna Cargill

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What is Pruning?

#1 Pruning is: the removal or reduction of certain plant parts that

are not required, that are no longer effective, or that are of no use to

the plant.

Simply stated, the removal of part of the plant for the benefit of all

the plant.

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Why? Reasons for Pruning

To Maintain Plant Health

To Direct and/or Control Growth

To Increase Plant Vigor & Production of Flowers &

Fruit

To Remove Undesirable Growth

To Maintain Public Safety

To Control Shape, Achieve Artificial Form or a Special

Effect

To Protect Investment

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Reasons for Pruning #1 To Maintain Plant Health- Control of Damage & Disease

Maintain Plant Health:

a. All plants benefit when you remove the 3 D’s- dead,

diseased, and damaged. Removing the 3 D’s slows and/or

stops the spread of disease & infestation.

b. Severe winds can break or damage evenly pruned trees &

shrubs. Pruning can help redirect growth in a desirable

manner and heal the damage quickly again decreasing the

spread of disease.

c. Pruning can prevent the total loss of storm-damaged plants.

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Reasons for Pruning #2 To Direct & Control Growth

Control Growth:

a. Plants in landscape settings are usually part of the overall landscape design

and they need to be pruned in order to preserve the integrity and scale of the

landscape design.

b. Plants need pruning in order to prevent growing into the house, resting on

the roof, blocking windows and views, growing over walkways and driveways

& posing a hazard.

c. Plants also need to be pruned in landscape settings to keep from the danger

of wind-throw, ease of pest control spraying, interference with utility wires,

and not blocking out light to other plants and lawn areas.

Direct Growth:

a. Pruning stops growth in one direction and encourages it in another, because

growth continues in the buds & branches left behind.

b. Undesirable branches can be removed, likewise growth can be encouraged

where foliage and branches are wanted.

c. Plants can be pruned to fulfill a particular function, such as a climbing tree

for kids.

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Reasons for Pruning #3 To Increase Production of Flowers & Fruit

Increase Plant Vigor:

a. Annual pruning encourages old growth to give way to new wood & growth

which flowers more profusely and is more resistant to disease and pest.

b. Removal of dead, diseased & damaged also allows the sun and air to

penetrate the interior of the plant, which helps the foliage expand to its

fullest.

Increase Production of Flowers & Fruit:

a. Regular pruning of fruit trees and flowering trees & shrubs produces &

promotes good annual crops of fruit & blossoms.

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Reasons for Pruning #4 To Remove Undesirable Growth

Types of Undesirable Growth:

a. Remove the 3 D’s: Dead, Diseased, and Damaged- Examples Below

Dead, Diseased or Insect Infested Wood

Spent Flowers (Remove before they go to seed)

Broken Branches or Limbs

b. Waterspouts- Vertical Shoots From Branches

c. Suckers- Shoots From the Base of a Tree or Shrub

d. Crossing or Rubbing Branches

e. Excess Growth

f. Long Awkward Limbs

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Reasons for Pruning #5 To Maintain Public Safety

To Maintain Public Safety:

a. Pruning trees and shrubs in public areas to keep from becoming a tripping

hazards

b. Pruning trees and shrubs in public parks is specifically done to reduce cover

for potential attackers

c. Tree branches that pose a hazard (for example, structurally unsound or too

low) to pedestrians, cars, and structures should be removed before they cause

injury or damage.

d. Pruning large trees and shrubs is important for sightlines (for example, at

street signs or intersections).

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Reasons for Pruning #6 To Control Shape, Achieve Artificial Form or Effect

Pruning for Special Effect:

a. Hedge Shearing- is used to create privacy screens and windbreaks

i. Always prune a hedge so that the bottom of the hedge is wider than the top.

ii. Never prune in a ball or in a “V” shape, or the top will eventually shade out the

bottom.

b. Espalier- Pruning a plant so it only has two notable dimensions: width &

height. Training plants to grow flat by means of a trellis, wire, hooks, or

supports. The plant can either be free standing or against a wall/trellis.

c. Topiary- is shearing of a plant to create a geometric form or an object such

as an animal. The shapes formed are often whimsical.

d. Pleaching- is interlacing the upper branches of trees planted in a row to

create a high hedge. It looks like the hedge is on stilts.

e. Pollarding- is heading back all new growth of a tree to the point of origin.

The crown remains the same size each year. Branch stubs become greatly

enlarged and gnarled

f. Bonsai- is intentional dwarfing

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Examples of Hedge Shearing

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Examples of Espalier

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Examples of Topiary

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Examples of Pleaching

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Examples of Pollarding

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Examples of Bonsai

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Reasons for Pruning #7 To Protect Investments

Protect Investment:

a. Mature, well-kept landscape plants make residential property

more valuable.

b. Regular pruning protects the initial investment made in

landscape plants and landscape design.

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Timing for Pruning When is the best time to prune?

Appropriate Timing:

A. There is not an appropriate time of year to prune every tree and

shrub.

B. The appropriate time to prune depends on the type of plant, its

condition, and the results desired.

1. In general, the best time to prune a woody plant is late winter or early spring. This

is the period right before new growth starts.

a. At this time there is the least lost of the plant’s stored food reserves

(sugars) and pruning cuts heal very quickly.

b. This is also the time when the leaves are gone on deciduous trees and

shrubs, it is easy to see the structural arrangement of the branches and

where the best cuts need to be made.

c. Removal of disease and pest are easier as well. An example would be

mistletoe because it can be seen growing on bare branches.

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Timing for Pruning When is the best time to prune?

Appropriate Timing Continued:2. Pruning in fall or early winter would typically be avoided.

a. Before the foliage drops, the plant’s stored food reserves move from the

leaves into the woody branches; pruning at this time depletes the stored

food reserves needed to initiate spring growth.

b. Also, fall is when many decay fungi produce spores, so this is when open

pruning wounds are most likely to become infected with decay rot.

3. In most cases, the worst time to prune is just after leaves emerge in the spring.

a. Stored energy has made the sprouting and growth of new foliage possible,

but the leaves have not yet begun to accumulate food to restock the

supply.

b. Spring is the time of greatest root growth which also uses a lot of the

plant’s stored energy.

c. A plant can not afford to lose foliage until the food replaced equals or

surpasses the food used.

d. Additionally the tissue in the spring is soft and can be easily damaged

during pruning.

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Timing for Pruning When is the best time to prune?

Appropriate Timing Continued:4. Pruning in spring to midsummer has a dwarfing effect on plants because this

reduces the leaf area for the longest time.

a. Bonsai Plants- where dwarfing is the goal, these plants should be pruned at

this time.

b. Summer pruning is recommended for restricting the growth of ornamental

plants that have reached a desired height and spread, such as established

evergreen shrubs and hedges.

c. Summer pruning cuts should be kept small because the wounds will not

heal or callus over as quickly as in the dormant stage.

5. Some pruning can be done at any time if judgment and moderation are exercised.

a. Dead and dying branches, suckers, and water sprouts should be removed

whenever they are seen.

b. Removing a few stragglers or branches that are out of line does little harm,

even if it is done during the growing season.

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Pruning 101- Part I

What, Why, & When?