Pruning Thinning / Removing 1/3 / 45 - degree cuts / Choosing buds / Spring-flowerers Spring is the best time to prune your outside plants. When you prune them in the spring, you are starting before the sap really gets flowing, and, also, before the leaves are really coming out. -This will help you to see better what needs to be cut off the plants. I've heard some people say that it's alright to prune in the fall too, but pruning in the fall, does not give the plants enough time to heal before the cold comes. Pruning in the spring gives your plants all summer long to heal before winter's bitter cold begins. Also, your maple trees will need to be pruned quite early in the spring (I have to prune mine in about February - zone 5-6) so that the sap is not running, and they won't "bleed" too much. Yes, the sap runs quite well in all varieties of maple trees, not just the Sugar Maples. I hope this lesson helps you; I'm trying to explain as best I can. Yes, I did major in Horticulture in college. No, I didn't finish and get my degree; my husband and I decided to "propagate" at about that time, ourselves! : ) Let's begin! : ) When you're pruning your plants, whether trees or shrubs, stand back and take a good look at what needs to be done first. Many times, people let their trees and shrubs get very crowded in the centers. When you cut off some of the limbs in the center, you open up the plant so more sunlight can reach the leaves left behind. The leaves, then, will grow larger and receive plenty of sun to photosynthesize and make plenty of food for the plant! Your plant will be healthier and grow larger faster, too. -I've seen this happen in my own yard with two identical Burning Bushes (Euonymus Alatus compacta). One, I had the time to get to and give it a nice thinning of its branches, and the other one I did not. The one I pruned, just one season - mind you, ended up, to this day, to be far healthier and more beautiful! They were in the same type of soil, the same conditions and the same amount of sunlight. Here's how you do it: Just cut off every little branch that is growing toward the center of the tree or shrub - roses too. If some large limbs are growing into the center of the plant, you may only want to remove one of them per year so that the plant does not go into shock or die. Do not cut off more than one-third (1/3) of the plant's branches per year. If you prune off more than 1/3 of your plant's branches, you will quite likely have many, long suckers springing out, and you don't want that. It's not attractive. There is a possibility that you could send the plant into shock, also. For the most part, don't worry! Plants are so wonderfully adaptive - they bounce back! So, don't be afraid to get out those hand-pruners and loppers, and get to work! : ) Below, are some drawings I made to illustrate an over-crowded shrub or tree and how it should be pruned. The black lines are cuts. Top of Page I'll add that pruning fruit trees, to open up the center to light, is especially good. This way they can get more light to the centers of the trees and produce larger fruit. Now that you know to thin out the centers of your trees and shrubs, I'll tell you how to make the cuts! : ) Branches that you are cutting completely off, need to be cut off right next to the trunk or right next to the branch or limb that they are being cut off from. Notice the drawings above. (Click on the second plant to get back here.) Every cut is made flush with the limb the branch was cut off from. You do this if you are removing a whole branch. If you are just pruning the ends off of the branches (1/3 may be pruned off the ends of every branch), then you need to make the cut just above the bud, on the part being left on the tree or shrub, at a 45 - degree angle. The following is an illustration of this: The cutting line looks straight across here, but that's because I've drawn the branch coming out at about a 45 - degree angle. If you'll look carefully at the cut, it is cut at a 45 - degree angle. The branch is not cut off straight across. Cutting the limb at this angle facilitates faster healing of the limb. (Limb and branch are the same thing. I was just using limb for a much larger branch, usually.) Also, it's important to make the cut so that the high side, of the 45 - degree angle, is on the same side of the branch as the bud you are leaving for the end bud. This also facilitates faster healing of the branch. Top of Page Which bud(s) do I leave on the end of the branch? Take a look at your plants. Some of the buds sprout from the tops (not ends) of the limbs/branches, some buds sprout from the undersides of the limbs, and some of the buds will sprout from the sides of the limbs. Cut off branches that are growing from the tops or from the undersides of your limbs. Just leave the ones that are growing from the sides of your limbs. Likewise, the buds that you want to be on the ends of your limbs/branches are growing from the sides of the limbs/branches. See below; I've done my best to illustrate this. Top of Page Well, that's enough for now. : ) I hope this helps. There is so much to learn about pruning alone! : ) Don't forget to clean up your messes outside, so that insect pests and diseases don't have a nice place to hide! Pick up those prunings and debris that has blown in during the winter. : ) Take care! Now that you're spring-flowering shrubs, such as lilac and forsythia, are finished blooming, it's time to prune them, as well! : ) It's a little harder with all their folliage hiding their branches, but you can do it! Just follow the tips above, and you'll be fine. The Gardening Girl copyrighted Gardening Girl is not responsible, in any way, for the death of or harm to anyone's plants, other than her own. Zones Thinning / Removing 1/3 / 45 - degree cuts / Choosing buds / Spring-flowerers The lovely Disney tune you hear, "Zipadee-do-dah!," is from Laura's Midi Heaven. Thanks Laura! : ) View My Guestbook : ) To be notified by Email when this page is updated enter your Email address below and SELECT your platform's OS. EMail Address: Identify Your Platform OS: MacOS Windows 95 Windows NT Windows 3.x Risc OS Amiga Be OS/2 Unix Linux DOS WebTV Bandi Game Machine Other . Home / Queen Iris / Iris Care / Iris Growers / Sweet Nectar / HTML Help / Vegetable Garden / Pruning Tips / E-mail Me / Please, sign my guestbook. / Would you like to view my guestbook? GeoCities - FREE Home Pages! / Picket Fence Community
Thinning / Removing 1/3 / 45 - degree cuts / Choosing buds / Spring-flowerers
Spring is the best time to prune your outside plants. When you prune them in the spring, you are starting before the sap really gets flowing, and, also, before the leaves are really coming out. -This will help you to see better what needs to be cut off the plants. I've heard some people say that it's alright to prune in the fall too, but pruning in the fall, does not give the plants enough time to heal before the cold comes. Pruning in the spring gives your plants all summer long to heal before winter's bitter cold begins. Also, your maple trees will need to be pruned quite early in the spring (I have to prune mine in about February - zone 5-6) so that the sap is not running, and they won't "bleed" too much. Yes, the sap runs quite well in all varieties of maple trees, not just the Sugar Maples. I hope this lesson helps you; I'm trying to explain as best I can. Yes, I did major in Horticulture in college. No, I didn't finish and get my degree; my husband and I decided to "propagate" at about that time, ourselves! : )
Let's begin! : ) When you're pruning your plants, whether trees or shrubs, stand back and take a good look at what needs to be done first. Many times, people let their trees and shrubs get very crowded in the centers. When you cut off some of the limbs in the center, you open up the plant so more sunlight can reach the leaves left behind. The leaves, then, will grow larger and receive plenty of sun to photosynthesize and make plenty of food for the plant! Your plant will be healthier and grow larger faster, too. -I've seen this happen in my own yard with two identical Burning Bushes (Euonymus Alatus compacta). One, I had the time to get to and give it a nice thinning of its branches, and the other one I did not. The one I pruned, just one season - mind you, ended up, to this day, to be far healthier and more beautiful! They were in the same type of soil, the same conditions and the same amount of sunlight. Here's how you do it: Just cut off every little branch that is growing toward the center of the tree or shrub - roses too. If some large limbs are growing into the center of the plant, you may only want to remove one of them per year so that the plant does not go into shock or die. Do not cut off more than one-third (1/3) of the plant's branches per year. If you prune off more than 1/3 of your plant's branches, you will quite likely have many, long suckers springing out, and you don't want that. It's not attractive. There is a possibility that you could send the plant into shock, also. For the most part, don't worry! Plants are so wonderfully adaptive - they bounce back! So, don't be afraid to get out those hand-pruners and loppers, and get to work! : ) Below, are some drawings I made to illustrate an over-crowded shrub or tree and how it should be pruned. The black lines are cuts.
Top of Page
I'll add that pruning fruit trees, to open up the center to light, is especially good. This way they can get more light to the centers of the trees and produce larger fruit.
Now that you know to thin out the centers of your trees and shrubs, I'll tell you how to make the cuts! : ) Branches that you are cutting completely off, need to be cut off right next to the trunk or right next to the branch or limb that they are being cut off from. Notice the drawings above. (Click on the second plant to get back here.) Every cut is made flush with the limb the branch was cut off from. You do this if you are removing a whole branch. If you are just pruning the ends off of the branches (1/3 may be pruned off the ends of every branch), then you need to make the cut just above the bud, on the part being left on the tree or shrub, at a 45 - degree angle. The following is an illustration of this:
The cutting line looks straight across here, but that's because I've drawn the branch coming out at about a 45 - degree angle. If you'll look carefully at the cut, it is cut at a 45 - degree angle. The branch is not cut off straight across. Cutting the limb at this angle facilitates faster healing of the limb. (Limb and branch are the same thing. I was just using limb for a much larger branch, usually.) Also, it's important to make the cut so that the high side, of the 45 - degree angle, is on the same side of the branch as the bud you are leaving for the end bud. This also facilitates faster healing of the branch.
Which bud(s) do I leave on the end of the branch?
Take a look at your plants. Some of the buds sprout from the tops (not ends) of the limbs/branches, some buds sprout from the undersides of the limbs, and some of the buds will sprout from the sides of the limbs. Cut off branches that are growing from the tops or from the undersides of your limbs. Just leave the ones that are growing from the sides of your limbs. Likewise, the buds that you want to be on the ends of your limbs/branches are growing from the sides of the limbs/branches. See below; I've done my best to illustrate this.
Well, that's enough for now. : ) I hope this helps. There is so much to learn about pruning alone! : ) Don't forget to clean up your messes outside, so that insect pests and diseases don't have a nice place to hide! Pick up those prunings and debris that has blown in during the winter. : ) Take care! Now that you're spring-flowering shrubs, such as lilac and forsythia, are finished blooming, it's time to prune them, as well! : ) It's a little harder with all their folliage hiding their branches, but you can do it! Just follow the tips above, and you'll be fine.
The Gardening Girl
copyrighted Gardening Girl is not responsible, in any way, for the death of or harm to anyone's plants, other than her own.
Zones
The lovely Disney tune you hear, "Zipadee-do-dah!," is from Laura's Midi Heaven. Thanks Laura! : )
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