Skip to main content

Tree Pruning Tips

There are two kinds of winter gardening. The first method usually starts in January as the gardening catalogs begin to arrive in the mail. This type of gardening is as easy as sitting in your favorite chair, browsing the catalogs, and either dreaming about what you’re going to do this spring, or actually drawing designs for the gardens you intend to work on.

The second type of winter gardening is to actually get out in the yard and do a little work. Of course if it’s bitter cold, you’d be better off waiting for a good day. Winter is a good time to do some pruning if the temperatures are around 30 degrees or so. I don’t recommend pruning if it’s considerably below freezing because the wood is brittle and will shatter when you make a cut.

One of the advantages of pruning during the winter is that you can see much better what needs to be cut out and what should stay. At least that’s true with deciduous plants. The other advantage is that the plants are dormant, and won’t mind you doing a little work on them.

Ornamental trees should pruned to remove competing branches. Weeping Cherries, Flowering Dogwoods, Flowering Crabapples etc. have a tendency to send branches in many different directions. It is your job to decide how you want the plant to look, and then start pruning to achieve that look.

But first stick your head inside the tree and see what you can eliminate from there. This is like looking under the hood, and when you do you’ll see a lot of small branches that have been starved of sunlight, that certainly don’t add anything to the plant.  They are just there, and should be cut out.

Any branch that is growing toward the center of the tree where it will get little sunlight should be cut out. Where there are two branches that are crossing, one of them should be eliminated. Once you get the inside of the plant cleaned up, you can start shaping the outside.

Shaping the outside is actually quite easy. Just picture how you want the plant to look, and picture imaginary lines of the finished outline of the plant. Cut off anything that is outside of these imaginary lines. It is also important to cut the tips of branches that have not yet reached these imaginary lines in order to force the plant to fill out.

Check out this post to learn more about cutting and pruning

For the most part plants have two kinds of growth: Terminal branches and lateral branches. Each branch has one terminal bud at the very end, and many lateral branches along the sides. The terminal buds grow in an outward direction away from the plant. Left uncut they just keep growing in the same direction, and the plant grows tall and very thin. That’s why the trees in the woods are so thin and not very attractive.

When you cut a branch on a plant, the plant sets new buds just below where you cut. When you remove the terminal bud the plant will set multiple buds; this is how you make a plant nice and full. Don’t be afraid to trim your plants, they will be much nicer because of it. The more you trim them, the fuller they become.

Lots of people have a real problem with this. They just can’t bring themselves to prune. Especially when it comes to plants like Japanese Red Maples. It kills them to even think about pruning a plant like this. Just do it! You’ll have a beautiful plant because of it.

Look at the plant objectively. If you see a branch that looks like it’s growing too far in the wrong direction, cut it. If you make a mistake it will grow back. Not pruning is the only mistake you can make. I hope this helps and doesn’t get you in trouble with your significant other. Many a family feud has started over pruning.

The post Tree Pruning Tips appeared first on All around the house.



from All around the house http://allaroundthe.house/tree-pruning-tips/
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Give Your Bathroom a Deep Clean in 15-minute Segments

Bathrooms can be a haven of relaxation, however if mildew is growing, counters are overflowing, and hair and dust balls line the floor, the idea of lingering in this room is not appealing. Even if the idea of a clean bathroom is appealing, the idea of a three or four-hour cleaning regiment might not be the motivation needed to complete the bathroom’s spring clean. Instead of trying to complete the cleaning project in one day, spread the chore over several days in 15-minute segments.   Daily Bathroom Cleaning Schedule The first day Clean out any drawers, cabinets, or closets in the bathroom area. Usually items are found that are unnecessary, outdated, or no longer used. Throw away or recycle any material, products, or linens that fit one of these categories. The second day Take items off of the countertop and decide what should be kept, thrown out, or recycled. Try to store most items in the drawers, cabinets, or closet in order to eliminate the clutter. If it is too ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chives – Allium schoenoprasum

Known as common garden chives, Allium schoenoprasum, can be grown indoors and out. Chives are rich in vitamins A and C, potassium, and calcium. They are grown for the flavour of their leaves, which is reminiscent of onion, although much milder. Both the stems and light purple flowers are used in cooking and the snipped leaves are an addition to many dishes. Chives lose their flavour with long cooking so it is best to add them to dishes at the last minute. For chopping stems, a pair of scissors is the best tool. Chives can be frozen or dried. They are less flavourful when dried rather that frozen, so they are best used when fresh and snipped, or snipped and frozen. In both cases sort them carefully, removing any yellowing leaves and shoots, and keep only the plump green ones. It is possible to place chives in non-iodized salt, keep them there for several weeks, remove the leaves, and then bottle the ‘chive salt’ for use in flavouring. Chives are a perennial in the garden and grow app...
Post a Comment
Read more

Landscape Ideas to Save Energy

One should be aware that plants properly placed in our landscapes can save both energy and dollars. As you plan your landscape or add to an existing landscape, consider locating plants where they will save energy and money. Windbreaks have long been used on farms to help divert wind and control conditions. Even in the home landscape, a small planting to divert the wind can be beneficial. Evergreen plants placed to the north or northwest of a home to break the prevailing wind can reduce heat loss and fuel consumption. Where adequate space is available, several rows of trees may be used. However, in a limited area only a few are still helpful, although less effective. Where adequate space is available, the ends of a windbreak should extend 50 feet to each side of the area to be protected. A windbreak is effective for eight times its height, so even before the plants become as high as your house they will provide beneficial effects. Pines can be used for windbreaks, but because they ten...
Post a Comment
Read more