Post on 17-Jan-2016
Pruning
• Why– Remove dead, damaged, diseased branches– Promote strong branch unions– Improve line-of-sight– Control plant size and shape (branch location)
Tight crotch (<30°…)
Low strength, especially if there is included bark
Prune when small
ST
EM
/BR
AN
CH
Buds – provides next year’s branches, leaves and sometimes flowers.
Pruning
• How– Heading cuts – cutting off part of a shoot or
branch ... – Thinning cuts – cutting back whole branches,
to the point where they connect with other branches or the stem
Branch collar A-B-DBranch bark ridge
C-E
Show the order of cutting of the branch
Incorrect Correct
Three-cut method for larger limbs
Pruning
• How– Heading cuts– Thinning cuts– Large branches ... hire a professional arborist– How much to remove? – <~25%
Pruning
• Time of year– Late winter/early spring is best– Elm, oak, honeylocust, mountain-ash, apple,
birch – NOT in summer
• Power lines – BE CAREFUL!
Indirect contact between you and the power line can occur through a branch or a tool. Consider hiring a professional arborist.
Pruning
• Don’t prune (a lot) at planting ...
• Shearing – a mixture of thinning and indiscriminate heading to shape a shrub or conifer