Pruning Tools

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Pruning Tools
Hand clippers Scissor type Snapcut
type Pruning shears Loppers Pruning saw
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Pruning

• Some plants are pruned routinely to maintain a
  desired size and shape.
• Pruning will promote new, healthy growth,
  flowering or fruit.
• Pruning will reduce the size of an overgrown
  plant.
• Plants damaged by insects, disease or
  environmental conditions need pruning to remove
  these damaged parts.
• Pruning is the most least understood technique
  and frequently done wrong.

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Pruning Time
As a general rule of thumb
Plants that flower before June 1 (azaleas,
dogwoods and forsynthia) prune after the flowers
have dropped.
Plants that bloom after June 1 (crepe myrtles,
hibiscus and abelia) prune prior to spring growth.
Plants not grown for flowers can be pruned
lightly anytime of the year with heavy pruning
saved for winter.
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Pruning Technique

• Remove branches that compete with the central
  leader
• Remove branches that grow inward or cross with
  other branches.
• Remove upright growth or water sprouts.
• Remove low growing branches that interfere with
  vision or maintenance.
• Remove suckers originating from below-ground
  growth.

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Pruning Shrubs
A properly pruned shrub should look natural and
should not look as if it as been pruned.

• Pruning cuts should not be visible.
• Pruning cuts should be made inside the plant.
• Remove all dead or damaged material first.
• Remove crossing branches.
• Remove older material on plants too dense.
• Head back excessively long branches to a bud or
  lateral branch 6-12 inches below the desired
  height.
• Do not use hedge shears. Cut each branch
  separately to differing lengths.

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Pruning Technique
Pruning is a local effect
Pruning can control growth
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Pruning Technique
Heading vs. Thinning
Heading back or shearing is the indiscriminate
cutting of the ends of vigorous of plants. This
will produce a dense growth on the outside of the
plant and may cause a bare interior due to loss
of light.
Thinning, cutting selected branches back to a
main branch, encourages new growth from the
inside of the plant keeping it full. Thinning
will also help to reduce size and provides for a
fuller, more attractive plant.
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Renewal Pruning
Overgrown plants, or those severely damaged from
outside conditions, may need severe pruning.

• Renewal pruning is the cutting of a plant to
  within 6-12 inches of the ground.
• Best time for renewal pruning is midwinter.
• Renewal pruning will produce abundant growth by
  midsummer.
• As new shoots grow, prune them at a directional
  bud to encourage branching.
• Not all plants will respond favorably to renewal
  pruning.
• An alternative to renewal is a stepped pruning.

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Pruning Technique

• To remove heavy branches without damaging the
  tree, a three-cut sequence is recommended.
• First, cut one-fourth to one-half way through
  the lower side of the limb.
• Make a second cut on the top of the limb a few
  inches away from the first.
• Remove the remaining stub by cutting back to the
  branch collar.

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Pruning Trees
Once the main framework of a tree is established,
annual maintenance pruning is required.

• Prune limbs growing at narrow angles to the main
  trunk, less than 45 degrees.
• Remove branches that grow inward and threaten to
  rub.
• Remove branches that may inhibit routine
  management practices.
• Prune damaged limbs.
• Remove vigorous suckers or water sprouts.
• Remove branches that compete with the main trunk
  for dominance.

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Pruning Vines Ground Covers
Pruning vines and ground covers will depend on
plant vigor and will vary from year to year.

• Flowering vines need to be pruned the same time
  as flowering ornamentals.
• Prune to thin the canopy.
• Prune them to keep growth in bounds.
• Prune to rejuvenate their growth after winter
  damage, or insect and disease problems.
• Prune to encourage air movement within the
  plant.
• Prune to remove old growth on ground covers such
  as liriope and mondograss.

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Pruning Training Hedges
Hedges that are used as privacy screens should be
pruned properly early in its life to encourage a
compact growth.

• Head back newly planted hedge shrubs to 12
  inches form the ground.
• Prune new growth tips to encourage branching.
• To produce a dense shrub, continually prune to
  encourage new branching.
• Informal hedges are pruned using selective
  pruning and requires less maintenance.
• Formal hedges should be sheared and will require
  more maintenance.
• Always prune so the base is wider than the top.

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Pruning Roses
Prune roses when the buds start to swell in the
spring.
Remove weak, diseased or spindly wood and leave
3-5 of the most vigorous canes.
Prune climbers after the first flush of growth
removing old and diseases canes.
Do not prune floribundas as heavily as hybrid
teas.
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