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Gardening Basics: PRUNING

WHEN TO PRUNE?
GENERAL PRUNING KNOWLEDGE

When is the right time to prune? If you were to ask this question in a room full of gardeners and nurserymen, you would get one heck of a conversation going and everyone's answer would be a little bit different. Some would even tell you the best time to prune is when you feel the plant needs it. But since you asked my opinion, I'll tell you it depends on your plant's condition. If it's at all diseased or has lack of nutrition, you might want to address those problems first. Please contact us and we will be happy to give you a diagnoses of your plant's condition.

LATE WINTER PRUNING
This would be the time you prune your fruit trees, roses, broad leaf evergreens, vines and some flowering trees. Since late winter can mean different things to different people, figure it is when the days are getting longer and warmer but the nights are still cold. You don't want to see swelling buds or new growth. The branches are bare and easy to see what your doing.

SPRING PRUNING
Inspect your plants and remove any dead wood and damaged branches from ice, snow and wind. Also do repair to any damage done by animals throughout the winter. This is the time period where sap runs the most so just do repairs at this time. Spring is the time to pinch off buds that may be started that you wish to not grow into branches or tops. This would also be the time to remove new suckers, water sprouts, or any other branches that are beginning to grow in the wrong direction. (Branches growing inward towards the main stalk of the tree is the wrong direction.)

EARLY SUMMER PRUNING
This is the time your plants experience most of their growth. For this reason, it is a great time to shear your evergreens and hedges. It also can be a good time for pruning shrubs that bloomed in the spring such as lilacs, honeysuckle bridal wreath and spring blooming spireas. These plants should be pruned after they are done blossoming. This should be done so they can start developing buds for the next spring. Early Summer is also a good time to do more corrective pinching and pruning on young trees, cut off extra tops, bad crotches and any suckers.

LATE SUMMER PRUNING
This is when your plants have stopped growing but are still full of leaves. This is a good time to prune certain trees. The birches and maples are trees that bleed badly in winter and spring so this is the time to safely prune them as well as most shade trees.
This is also a good time to basel prune your evergreens. The smallest amount of pitch that oozes out will be sufficient to seal the wound, but not enough to distress the tree.

FALL PRUNING
This is a time most gardeners like to do their pruning. The leaves are falling and no sap is running so they can see what they are doing and the weather is still somewhat pleasant. In the northern part of the country, autumn is an excellent time to prune your roses, especially tea roses. It's also a good time to cut back your clematis, hydranges, crape myrtle, potentilla, hibiscus and many other shrubs. Woody vines should be pruned at this time as well as small fruits and grape vines.

BEWARE OF OVERPRUNING
Just like fertilizing, pruning more is not always better and sometimes it is disastrous. So keep your pruning urge carefully under control. When you prune skillfully, it is not obvious. Yet, like weeding your garden, it becomes quite noticeable when you haven't done it.