Pruning is a common practice in and around the garden that needs attention now and then. Knowing why, how, and when to prune is important for achieving healthy, vibrant plants.
What is Pruning?
In horticulture, pruning means cutting back parts of a plant. This helps the plant stay healthy and grow better. It can also improve the plant’s shape or yield [1].
Types of Pruning Methods
Pruning can be done in various ways. Maintenance pruning removes dead or sick branches, helps shape trees naturally, and boosts air and light flow.
Crown Thinning
Crown-thinned trees are essential for tree maintenance. They remove smaller and weaker branches from their tops.
The canopy of the trees is opened up, which allows more light and air to reach the leaves and branches below.
The crown thinning process also reduces the weight of larger branches, lowering the risk of losing them in spring storms.
Dead Pruning
Removing dead, dying, or diseased branches from your trees is essential.
Dead pruning removes diseased branches and boosts your tree’s appearance, which can enhance your home’s curb appeal.
Removing all the dead branches can reduce the chance of harming yourself or your property.
Crown Reduction
Crown reduction is the best option if you are concerned about your tree’s overall height. It prevents trees from becoming too top-heavy and removes small branches that grow on larger, heavier ones.
Crown reduction is a crucial pruning technique for young trees. It helps the tree grow strong and big without the weight of small branches.
Crown Lifting
Tree crown lifting involves removing lower branches to raise the crown’s height.
This creates more space between the tree’s lower branches and the ground, lightens the tree’s branches, and reduces its weight.. This method is done to trees too close to sidewalks, streets, and even homes.
However, this process can harm older, larger trees, so it is only recommended for young trees.
Pollarding
The pollarding process removes all the branches from the stem, leaving only the framework formed by the secondary branches.
When your trees are young, you should begin pollarding them and continue to do so at intervals throughout their lives. This type of pruning does not kill the tree.
Importance of Pruning
Pruning has many benefits for trees and plants and also for your family.
1. Control of Insects
While insects may not necessarily kill a plant, some can spread diseases, weakening the entire plant.
You can spray bad infestations, but it’s often best to cut off infected branches. Overall, pruning fruit trees and bushes can help eliminate pests and strengthen the plant.
2. Safety
Weak, loose, and overgrown branches can cause serious problems in storms or heavy winds. They could smash into window panes or break off and damage buildings and cars.
They could also hit electricity poles and cables and hurt people and pets.
Removing weakened, broken, or hazardous branches will reduce the risk of further damage.
3. Growth Control
Overgrowth can weaken a tree if it loses its shape. The plant may not have enough strength to support itself.
The growth may also become a nuisance to neighbors or street pedestrians. Growth control is also necessary to avoid damaging cables and electricity pylons.
4. Increase Property Value
Overgrown bushes, trees, and shrubs can be unsightly and even detrimental to property value, including all properties in the neighborhood.
Conversely, nicely manicured, healthy-looking trees, shrubs, and plants will surely delight everyone and add value to properties.
5. More Air and Sunlight
Pruning plants is essential for allowing air and light through. Therefore, cutting off older and/or weaker branches can produce more vigorous plants and thick, glossy foliage.
Additionally, natural light in the house or workplace can help avoid many health problems and eyestrain.
Sun exposure is nature’s way of supplying our bodies with vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) [2]. Vitamin D is essential for proper body function.
Pruning Tools
Learning where and when to cut is important. However, the correct tools are vital, too. Read: Simple Farm Tools and Items You Should Own.
Garden Scissors
Deadheading flowers is a regular gardening job that takes time but is necessary and rewarding. Garden scissors are usually the only tools needed to remove flower heads and encourage new growth.
Secateurs
These are tough enough to cut thicker stems and branches. Secateurs resemble strong, heavy scissors.
Many different types are available for different jobs. They also come in various sizes to minimize strain on the hands.
Hedge Trimmers
These trimmers come in lengths between 6″ and 9″. They are perfect for shaping hedges. The hedge trimmer is a great gardening tool, allowing you to prune hedges easily.
With these tools, you don’t have to hire a professional gardener. Moreover, they can be run on either electricity or fuel. They also differ in price, length, and sound.
Loppers and Long-Reach Pruners
Two-handed tools are invaluable for cutting upper branches safely without risking ladders or overstretching muscles.
Loppers are generally used to remove thicker and harder branches and stems that secateurs cannot handle. Additionally, long-reach pruners are ideal for branches that are hard to reach.
Saws
These tools are specially designed to cut easily and smoothly through live branches.
There are large and small saws—some with straight blades and others with curved blades. However, the pruning of large, mature trees may need the help of professional tree surgeons.
Pruning vs. Trimming
These terms seem the same, but there is a difference. Pruning means the precise cutting back of infected, dead, or dangerous branches or stems from respective plants.
Tree trimming, or tree lopping, is dealing with overgrowth to improve its shape, size, or overall appearance and encourage healthy growth.
Takeaway
Pruning may be a laborious task sometimes, but the time and effort will reward the work with healthy, attractive, and safe plants and trees.
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