Pruning Your Trees and Shrubs

The pruning of trees, shrubs and vines is an important part of landscape maintenance and enhances the beauty of your property. It also helps prevent damage to buildings and power lines, increases fruit production and promotes plant health.

Many plants need to be pruned in order to maintain their shape and size, and to ensure that the flow of sunlight is not blocked. Pruning is an art and science that requires knowledge of the correct techniques for each type of plant.

Trees that are not pruned on a regular basis can grow out of control and become dangerous. Unpruned branches can entangle with overhead utility lines like telephone and electricity, which can cause significant damage and pose a threat to people and animals. Proper pruning, especially in the later stages of winter (when a tree is storing energy for summer), can cut these problem limbs before they cause any problems.

Overgrown trees and shrubs can choke out young growth, inhibit proper air circulation, attract insects and disease organisms, and block views of homes, driveways, and sidewalks. Pruning can eliminate these problems by removing dead and damaged limbs, removing entangling or crossing limbs, and opening up the canopy of the plant to allow in more light. Regular pruning can also remove suckers that grow from the base of a dominant branch, water sprouts that grow straight up from the crown, and other unnecessary branches.

Specialized pruning methods are used for specific goals, but two of the most valuable are thinning and heading. Both help open up the center of a plant and control its size, and most gardens and landscapes benefit from a combination of these techniques.

Some plants, such as azaleas, rhododendrons, mountain laurel, lilacs and flowering quince, should be pruned right after they bloom in the spring. This allows them to use the stored energy to produce more flowers and fruits next year.

A well-trained professional can evaluate your plants and recommend the right pruning techniques for your property. He or she should be able to identify the different types of limbs that need to be removed, and make clean cuts that will not harm the plant or leave unsightly scars. Proper pruning also means cleaning tools between uses and washing them with a mix of 70% alcohol or bleach, and drying thoroughly.

Never top a tree, as this can harm and weaken it, reduce its ability to produce fruits, and send up emergency water sprouts in response to the shock of being cut. Instead, consider reducing the overall volume of the tree through thinning or heading, and then training the remaining limbs into a shape to suit your needs.

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