Pruning – A Necessary Maintenance Practice

Pruning involves selectively removing living, dead or dying plant parts including branches, buds, leaves, blooms, roots and berries. It can be done to control or redirect growth, improve or sustain health, reduce hazards, and/or for aesthetic purposes. It is a necessary maintenance practice for both soft-tissue (herbaceous) and woody plants such as trees, shrubs and perennials.

Some of the more common reasons for pruning include controlling or improving overall size, shaping, reducing risk from falling branches and maximizing flower and fruit production. Most gardeners prune to remove dead or damaged wood, but it is also an opportunity to clean up the landscape by removing unsightly or overgrown branches and twigs.

The best time to prune depends on the type of plant and your goals. Many species of flowering shrubs, for example, require you to prune immediately after flowering. This allows new wood to form in place of spent flowers, which encourages repeat blooming later in the season. Other shrubs such as lilac, roses, azaleas and mountain laurel do well when pruned during the late winter or spring before they begin growing. This is because they typically produce their flowers on wood that grew during the previous year.

Many species of tree and woody shrubs, however, can be pruned any time during the growing season, depending on your goal and the desired appearance. The general rule is to prune out dead or diseased wood, crossing or rubbing branches, suckers that grow from rootstock, water sprouts that shoot up straight up from dominant stems, and any other objectionable growth.

When pruning evergreens, it is often beneficial to shear them into a more densely compacted or rounded shape as this helps them retain their appearance longer and keep them from becoming overgrown or sprawling out of bounds. Pruning can also help keep a tree or shrub upright and healthy by removing weak or narrow-angled branches that could fall and cause injury or damage.

More specialized ornamental styles such as topiary, espalier and bonsai involve limiting the size of trees and tree-like shrubs or significantly altering their natural shape. These are generally best left to the more experienced gardener or professional. While they can add beauty to the landscape, these types of pruning practices are also extremely labor intensive and often result in a large amount of dead wood, so should be used sparingly. In addition, it is best to avoid using pruning paints or dressings as these can seal in moisture and can actually inhibit the natural defense mechanisms of a tree by preventing it from producing its own woundwood. This can make them prone to fungus and insect infestation.

from Sunshine Coast Tree Lopping Caloundra https://ift.tt/xYDBqLX