Pruning Plants with a Purpose
One of the main contributing factors to maintaining a healthy and beautiful landscape is pruning. The act of pruning plants can be physically demanding, but it’s the mental preparation and planning that is key to the success of this crucial skill. The following information is meant to help you plan and prepare for caring and maintaining your trees and shrubs so they can provide you with years of function and beauty. Let’s start with some basics:
What is Pruning?
Pruning is the practice of selectively removing plant parts (branches, buds, spent flowers, etc.) to manipulate the plant for horticultural and landscape purposes.
Why Prune Plants?
- Maintain plant health
- Always cut out dead, dying, diseased or damaged wood.
- Remove crossing or rubbing branches.
- Maintain good air circulation within the plants framework.
- Remove unwanted shoots.bypass pruner
- Control size
- Accentuate an ornamental feature (flowers, fruit, etc.)
- Maintain desired shape.
When to Prune?
Most trees and shrubs, especially those that flower on current season’s new growth should be pruned in late winter or early spring before the onset of new growth. (March-April).