Mar 03, 2010


By Dale Odorizzi, Lanark County Master Gardeners


Late winter is an excellent time to prune many trees and shrubs. The trees and shrubs are dormant and without leaves, it is easy to see the structure of the trees so that you can see which branches should be cut out. Also, gardeners are looking for an excuse to get outside and start working in the garden.

Think about the 5 “D’s” of pruning and do them in the order given. Remove limbs that might be dangerous. Then take our any dead, diseased and damaged branches. Finally, consider the overall design or shape of the plant when deciding which branches to remove. Remove any branches that are crossing, especially if they rub on each other. Do not prune more than one third of the tree or shrub annually.

There are other good reasons to prune but these are not essential to your tree or shrub’s survival. You can prune if you want more flowers and fruit, a tidier or more shapely shrub, a shaped formal hedge or a controlled growth of certain branches or overall size.

The basic pruning equipment that you need in an average yard is good quality secateurs (or hand clippers), lopping shears (long handled shears) and a pruning saw. Secateurs are used to cut branches less than ¾ of an inch. Lopping shears cut branches from ¾ to 1 ½ inches. They are very useful for removing old stems from older shrubs. A pruning saw can remove branches up to 6 inches in diameter.

To prune a large branch, make a pre-cut about 18-24 inches up the branch from the crotch, where the branch joins trunk. This pre-cut effectively removes the weight of the branch so that while the final cut is being made, the weight won’t carry the branch down and tea the bark. If the branch falls before you finish cutting it, there is a risk the bark will tear, resulting in a large wound that won’t heal. Make a cut on the underside of the branch about ¼ of the way through the branch. Make a top cut slightly ahead—towards the branch end—of the bottom cut. Continue cutting until you are through the branch. After the pre-cut, you have a short stub that is easier to remove.

Look closely where the branch comes out of the trunk. You should see sort of ring of bark around the branch. This is called the collar. If you cut the branch stub off immediately outside this collar, healing may be slightly slower but the chance of getting disease into the trunk is less. Black wound paint does no good and may harm the tree. If you have cut close to the collar, it will grow over the wound in time. The final cut should be clean and straight and close to the collar, starting near the collar and angling slightly away from the tree.

Maple, birch and beech bleed if pruned when dormant. This is messy but not damaging. Prune after they leaf out to avoid this. You will often read that you should prune summer blooming shrubs as they leaf out and spring bloomers right after they bloom. This is recommended so that you can enjoy the blooms before cutting the branches off. Many of us plan to do our pruning at this time but get busy with other gardening chores. Pruning now will not hurt the trees and shrubs and in fact makes your job easier.

All your gardening questions can be submitted and answered on our website at www.lanarkmastergardeners.mgoi.ca

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