|
 The
Joy of Pruning
April 2003
BY Anita
Sulley
Early spring
can be a good time for pruning. People often avoid this task. They
are afraid of taking off too little, too much, the wrong branch or
it's the wrong time!! Without a doubt this
is the time of year at least to start with the basic 3 D's. Prune
the dead,
the diseased
and the damaged.
Knowing how to
make the right cut can mean all the difference in how well your tree
or shrub will grow. In general, cut close (about ¼ in.) above an
outward facing bud at a 45º angle. The goal of pruning is to
evenly shape your plant, thinning dense growth so that light and air
can circulate.
One factor to
keep in mind is when the shrub blooms. If it's a spring bloomer, wait
until just after flowering to prune or you'll be cutting off flower
buds. Some spring-flowering shrubs which fall into this
"special" pruning category include: azalea, lilac,
magnolia, spirea, forsythia, beauty-bush, viburnum, weigela,
flowering quince, flowering almond, deutzia, red-twig dogwood and
quite a few others.
Pines should
only be pruned by pinching back or shearing the new candles, which is
typically in June. However, an overgrown yew or juniper needing major
pruning could be addressed in April, right before new growth starts
to occur.
For shrubs
with thin branches like those of azaleas, all you need is a good pair
of hand pruners. Azaleas and other shrubs look better when their
natural form is maintained. So, just selectively remove the stems. Go
for older canes, and always remove any dead wood you might find.
Also, on new stems, make the cut just above a leaf bud. Don't be
timid. Azaleas are very forgiving. These pruning techniques not only
apply to azaleas, but to other early spring flowering shrubs that
bloom before the middle of June, like forsythia, quince and spirea.
Avoid pruning
roses in freezing weather. Mid to late spring is usually a good time
in our climate. Again the first to go are dead, diseased and damaged
also all thin or weak branches. Wait until the first sign of growth
appears. Cut back to the first healthy outward facing bud. As with
everything there is always an exception. Ramblers and Climbers should
be pruned after they finish blooming since they bloom on last year's
wood. I have to admit this is a lesson I learned the hard way when I
did a vigorous pruning on my huge American Pillar Rose. It was
healthy but it would have been much prettier with roses!!
Hard pruning
is recommended to reinvigorate old roses bushes. Often with age rose
bushes loose their rounded shape and start to get leggy producing
fewer blooms. Pruning will give them the strength they need to
produce larger and better blooms.
Remember it's
tough to really over prune and there are lots of benefits including
working off those extra winter pounds!! |
