By Diane Kennedy, for Let’s Talk Plants! June 2023.
Pruning Mania
A serious problem in gardens is over-pruning. (The most common is overwatering!)
Plants did not flounder around for millennia just awaiting the rise of humans so that they could at last be pruned.
Pruning only opens wounds where moisture that should be going to leaves is now pumped into the atmosphere. These wounds are prime spots for airborne fungus and other diseases.
Plants will always try to grow to the size that their DNA tells them. If you plant a tree but keep it trimmed down as a bush, you will eventually have a tortured-looking bush.
Plant the right sized plant for the right place and situate it to accommodate its mature width.
So many pathways are edged with bushes where half of them are sheared away to reveal bare branches because the plant was located too close to the path. If you want a tree for shade, choose one that will form an umbrella shape. If you want a privacy hedge, please, please don’t plant California Pepper. It will grow to be a tree and will frame rather than block the fence and your neighbor’s propane tank. Plant something like our native Sugarbush, Rhus ovata, which stays green to the ground.
When do you prune?
If you buy a fruit tree it may need corrective shaping so that it has a balanced growth. This should be done right away as you plant it. The three Ds apply for almost all other pruning: Dead, Diseased and…? I always forget what the third D is but prune away any branches that are rubbing or crossing inward. If you don’t mind having dead wood, leave it to provide habitat. Fruit trees may be pruned for height as well so that you can actually pick some fruit. Do this pruning in the winter. Pruning on a hot day is not a good idea, as trees and plants are already stressed.
If you need to prune back a mature plant, do it in stages so as not to shock it, and to keep it looking good. Prune back a quarter and wait a couple of weeks or more, then another quarter, etc.
Pine trees do not need to be pruned unless you are shaping them as Christmas trees. Most will not grow back from where they are pruned and so will leave bare, dead limbs and branches. Pruning mature trees should only be done if the tree needs some weight taken from one side because it is listing and may fall.
Please, please, never top trees. Never. Period.
Topping is not only unsightly, but it causes weak upward growth. Usually topping begins the short road to the chipper.
When true professionals prune a tree they lace it carefully, cutting back to nodes with respect to the species and their growth habits. However, lacing a tree is purely for human aesthetics, imprinting on nature the touch of the human hand. There is nothing more lovely than a healthy tree in its natural form.
When pruning, clip to a ‘node,’ or where the plant can leaf out. Find a node that faces to the side or up, depending upon which direction you’d like a branch to grow. Inward and downward are usually not good choices. Always clean your pruners with a 1:10% bleach and water solution, or spray with a disinfectant as you go, and keep your tools sharp for a clean cut. Clippings can be composted, buried or chipped to keep that valuable food on site. If you hire someone, check his or her work and make sure that he or she is a certified arborist. Tell them exactly what you want, or you may find that your trees have received a hack job and you a large bill.
Corrective pruning can make an excellent tree, but over pruning is an expensive way to slowly kill a plant. If something isn’t dangerous (the third D?) then usually you should just leave it alone. If someone with a saw tells you that your trees need pruning, often it’s just that they need a paycheck. Have them spread mulch instead. Do some research before you send your plants under the knife.
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