Pruning trees and shrubs

                                                                          If you prune

 The right time of pruning depends on the plant.  For Deciduous tree’s I like them to come out of dormancy first before I make some cuts. To many times people prune them to early.  This causes them to produce water sprouts. When plants grow during the season and in the fall as they go dormant they store food in the roots for next year’s grow cycle. When you prune now or early spring before they have a chance to pull all their energy out in growth you get the water sprouts. People often ask me why is it people say prune them while they are dormant. The only thing I do in the dormant stage is dead wood.  You have to be careful with some trees like Japanese maples in the dormant stage because the sap flow is pretty low and the tree is very fragile.  They break pretty easy. I wait until late spring to start pruning the maples. When plants get done blooming give them some love. Never prune too much, a rule is no more than a third at a time. Please never top your tree or shrub.  It is very important to make the right cuts. In my earlier blog on pruning I went over the two basic cuts of pruning. And the three D’s Dead, Diseased, and Dumb or growing in the wrong direction.  Heading and thinning cuts. A heading cut is making a cut to a node or bud. A thinning cut is taking out a branch to where it originates. This time of year you can easily see which branches are rubbing or growing in the wrong direction. In the beginning of the grow season in early spring you can rub off a shoot off the branch before it gets too tough to do later. And remember always prune to a branch collar. The collar is that swollen part at the base of a branch. If the branch is too big you use the three cut method. Follow the branch about a foot from the collar make an undercut an inch on the branch on the top of the branch go about two to three inches make a cut the weight of the branch will fall and break off at the undercut and the final cut is at the collar. Never use paints to seal the cuts. Plants have hormones that seal off cuts and heal just fine.   We are still in the early stages of the non-grow season to be doing major pruning. Maybe consider planting something that will be the right plant for the space.  This is my favorite time of the year for doing such task. Remember to have the right tools for the job and make sure they are sharp and always wear the right safety gear.

Happy New Year,

Gardener Joe