Correct pruning is an essential maintenance practice for trees and shrubs in the home landscape. However, most homeowners regard pruning with considerable, though unnecessary, apprehension. Pruning is not difficult if you understand the basics. To prune successfully, you must: 1) know why you are pruning, 2) be correct in your timing, and 3) follow proper techniques while using proper tools. Pruning is necessary to maintain a healthy vigorous tree or shrub. Specifically, pruning is practiced to:

1. Maintain or reduce plant size. Pruning can prevent a plant from overgrowing its space in the landscape.
2. Remove undesirable growth. Pruning can encourage plant vigor through the removal of weak, over-crowded growth.
3. Remove dead, diseased, or broken branches.
4. Stimulate flowering and fruiting. Removal of the current year’s old, faded flowers and fruit clusters will promote flower buds for the following season.
5. Rejuvenate and restore old plants to vigorous growth.
6. Prevent damage to life and property. Pruning can minimize the hazard of limbs interfering with power lines or overgrowing structures. It can also remove weak crotches before limbs break in strong winds.
7. Shape plants in an artificial form.

Keeping the above pruning facts in mind, there are a number of myths and misconceptions about pruning which should be laid to rest.

Myth #1: Pruning is difficult. Pruning is straightforward if one knows a little about how the plant grows and what it should look like when the process is complete.

Myth #2: Plants will die if pruned at the wrong time of year. Plants may be injured, but seldom, if ever, are they killed by poorly timed pruning.

Myth #3: All pruning must be done during the winter. Actually, many plants are best pruned during the growing season.

Myth #4: Topping shade trees will keep the trees from causing damage to the home. Shoots which grow after topping are weaker than the original limbs. They will be more likely to split off and cause damage unless they are removed every few years.

Myth #5: Most trees need pruning. Actually, mature trees seldom do. Young trees usually benefit because pruning helps in establishing the basic branch structure and in overcoming transplanting shock.

When to Prune

Timing of pruning is based on the flowering, fruiting, or growth habits of a plant, its tendency to “bleed,” and the fact that pruning usually stimulates a flush of re-growth. Most plants can be pruned at almost any time of year without jeopardizing basic survival. However, it is preferable to prune specific plants at specific points in the year.

Trees and shrubs that flower before the end of June should be pruned immediately after flowering. Flower buds develop during the previous season’s growth, thus, the flowers for the current year’s bloom developed last year and overwintered in the bud. If pruned before spring flowering, the flower buds will be removed, thus eliminating flowering. Examples of plants that should be pruned after flowering are: Barberry, Redbud, Dogwood, Forsythia, Crab Apple, Lilac, Viburnum, Flowering Pear, Cherry and Plum varieties, and Weigela.

Other trees and shrubs, those which flower after the end of June, should be pruned in winter or early spring before new growth starts. These plants develop flower buds during the spring of the flowering season. Examples of plants that should be pruned before flowering are: Butterfly Bush, Roses (except climbers and wild roses which should be pruned after flowering), False Spirea, and Hydrangea.

Coniferous evergreens can be pruned in late spring as the new branches elongate, but before they become stiff. Otherwise, they, like broadleaved evergreens, can be pruned whenever the wood is not frozen. However, coniferous types will generally not develop new shoots on older wood, so it isn’t advisable to cut back beyond the living foliage portion of the branches.

Tools of the Trade

Tools should be of the highest quality you can afford, and they should be sharp. Keep them in good condition by lubricating regularly, cleaning to prevent rust, and only using them for their intended function. Your pruning inventory should include:

• Hand shears (for branches up to 1/4'’ diameter)
• Lopping shears (for branches up to 1-1/2'’ diameter)
• Pruning saws (for branches over 1'’ diameter)
• Pole pruners (for branches beyond arm’s reach)
• Hedge shears (for clipping new growth into formal shapes)

Basic Techniques

There are three relatively simple techniques basic to all pruning situations: Pinching, Thinning, and Heading. Pinching is usually done by hand, and this is a good way to control plant size. Thinning completely removes some branches back to a main branch, trunk, or soil line. Do not cut into the branch collar when making a thinning cut back to a trunk or main branch; that is, do not cut so near the trunk that you cut through the area at the base of the limb adjacent to the main trunk, known as the branch collar. Such a cut allows for infection to spread into the part of the plant you wish to keep. Cut only the branch to be removed, about 1/2"-2" from the main trunk (depending on age). Heading back involves shortening branches back to a good bud or lateral branch. A proper heading back cut should not leave a stub. Make your cut about 1/4" above an active bud or lateral branch.

This article was intended to give you a basic overview of pruning in general. For more in-depth information about pruning specific types of plants, continue reading the companion article, "Pruning by Plant Type".

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