How to Prune Plants - Don't Waste

How should you prune plants? And when? First of all: always proceed step by step ; don't try to do everything at once in one go. It's much better to start with light cuts, then increase the number of cuts, so you can easily correct any mistakes. Many manuals indicate the correct path for this fundamental operation, which helps plants grow healthy and strong. But you can also focus on a few simple and essential rules that we've outlined here: we've gleaned them from expert gardeners.

Index of topics

What

Pruning is an important cultivation technique: it promotes vigorous growth and makes the plant more resistant to pest attacks . Before proceeding, however, it's important to know that, although some techniques are suitable for multiple varieties, each plant requires specific pruning . Furthermore, some plants don't need pruning, while others, such as cherry trees and conifers, don't tolerate drastic pruning.

What is

Pruning plants serves several purposes, some of which are essential for the plant's good health. The most important are:

Giving shape and uniformity to the plant, which also means enhancing it from an aesthetic point of view
Remove dead, diseased, and poorly arranged branches. This makes the plant healthier, more solid, and more ready for further growth.
Limit or reduce the size of the plant, which otherwise risks growing too large. This can have some negative side effects: obliterating a landscape, for example, or becoming a highway for traffic. mice
Increase light penetration, which is never too much for a plant
Increase flower production which, after pruning, will be more beautiful and more numerous

Types of pruning

It is possible to combine several pruning techniques together: in general, the different types include natural pruning , training pruning , maintenance pruning and recovery pruning , as well as the operations of trimming , spurring and thinning.

Pruning techniques

As mentioned in previous paragraphs, there are many plant pruning techniques , all with specific purposes and adapted to specific plant species. The main pruning technique involves eliminating unproductive branches . When parts of the plant are completely eliminated, it is called elimination pruning.

Natural pruning

Natural pruning is the simplest method and involves cutting off a few branches . It's perfect for some types of fruit trees and ornamental plants and can generally be done fairly easily, even by non-experts. Remove old or broken branches, irregular ones, and those that tend to cross. This also improves the plant's aesthetics and gives it a neat shape.

Trimming

Pruning allows the plant to strengthen and encourages the development of new buds on the branches.

Spurring

Spurring, on the other hand, involves eliminating a significant number of branches but also a reduction in the number of buds: in the latter case, this is primarily to encourage the reawakening of dormant buds and eliminate shoots that compete with each other.

Thinning

This pruning technique allows sunlight to pass through the branches, thereby reducing the humidity level between the leaves and limiting the risk of pest attacks. Thinning is especially beneficial when combined with other pruning techniques.

Formative pruning

Formative pruning should be done during the plant's first years of life and applies to both ornamental plants and fruit trees. Performing good formative pruning facilitates subsequent maintenance pruning. Formative pruning should be done during the dormant period : February and March are generally the best months to perform this operation.

Maintenance pruning

As mentioned, maintenance pruning aims to consolidate the results achieved with formative pruning. This technique relies on relatively simple procedures to eliminate irregularly shaped, broken, or pest-infested branches. Maintenance pruning can be done year-round; however, it's best to do it in spring.

Return pruning

Reverse pruning involves shortening the apical branches of plants, just above the lowest branch: this prevents the formation of vertical branches that can create vegetative disorders. This technique can be applied to both fruit trees and ornamental plants.

In any case, before proceeding with pruning, remember that :

The bud at the tip of a branch prevails over the lateral ones: cutting it allows the plant to expand.
The closer the cut is to the base of the branch, the more vigorously the new growth will develop: it is therefore best to prune the weaker branches and leave the stronger ones longer.

When to prune plants

The ideal time to prune plants is during their dormant phase , typically in October and November. This will give the plant a chance to strengthen in preparation for the spring regrowth. Pruning during this period, which coincides with leaf fall, also allows you to see the tree's exact shape and decide how to encourage it to grow back. Aside from autumn, some pruning is recommended for different seasons. In spring, it's best to prune younger, more substantial, and vigorous plants. In summer, prune after flowering or when the plant becomes too large to contain it. In winter, prune older, stunted plants, avoiding pruning during frost.

Pruning period

Here are some useful tips based on the different plants.

Flowering plants and trees

It is necessary to proceed with pruning during the vegetative rest phase in order to encourage spring flowering.

Screw: it must be pruned during the winter and spring.
Rose: it is necessary to prune them in March.
Conifers: they can be pruned at any time of the year, but early spring is preferable.
Citrus fruits: the trees of the oranges must be pruned in January-February, the Lemon; from July to September, mandarin in January-February.
oliveIn this case it is necessary to proceed at the end of winter.

How it is done

When pruning various plants, first remember to wear appropriate gardening gloves and use quality tools to ensure smooth cuts . If you're pruning particularly delicate trees, such as cherry trees, it's essential to disinfect and sterilize the blades beforehand, especially if they've been used to prune other plants.

Tools

Finally, here are the tools you need to have available to proceed with pruning plants :

Garden shears
Hacksaw
Shears
Pruner for very high branches

Pruning in autumn

In autumn, evergreen shrubs that tolerate low temperatures and deciduous trees are pruned, particularly yew, juniper, and thuja. Also in autumn, poplar, willow, and maple trees should be pruned every two years. Hedges should also be pruned for maintenance. As for flowers, autumn pruning includes azaleas, bougainvillea , climbing roses, camellias, and peonies.

Pruning plants: techniques, tools and periods