Title: Pruning Practices
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2Pruning Practices
- A guide for landscape pruning
3What is pruning?
- Methodical removal of plant parts with the object
of - Improving plant form
- Improve growth
- Improve health
- With least damage to cambium so that the wound
heals properly in shortest period of time with
the least possibility of wound infection
4Cambium
- The area below the bark that transports water,
nutrients and food reserves
5Trunk/branches
- The main stem of the tree
- Yearly layers/rings give structural support
- Layer below bark transports water and nutrients
6Leaves
- Food factories
- Convert light to food reserves through
photosynthesis
7How to Prune Deciduous Trees
- Why prune
- What to prune
- When to prune
- Where to prune
8Why prune young trees ?
- Trained trees will be structurally strong and
have a lower failure potential than untrained
trees. - Trained trees will be easier and less costly to
maintain than untrained trees - Trained trees have a greater potential to be
longer lived than untrained trees
9Natural tree forms
10Pruning
- When to prune trees?
- Ideal time to prune is during the dormant season
before new growth starts. - Winter or early spring structural problems are
visible - Spring and summer dieback is evident
- Fall only to repair storm damage wounds heal
slowly and may be prone to disease
11Pruning young trees
- Remove competing leader
- Select radiating scaffold branches
- Select wide branch angles
-
12Scaffold branches
- Spaced minimum 12 apart
- Radiate around the tree
- Best 1/3 size of trunk
- No more than 2 at any point
13Branch Angles.Wide
Narrow
14Narrow branches split out
15Temporary branches
- Branches low on trunk feed trunk and improve
taper and wind resistance - Keep in ratio of 1/3 trunk 2/3 branches
16Prune Yearly
17Dont over prune
- 1/3 2/3 rule
- Remember leaves are solar collectors for food
storage
18Balance windblown trees
- Reduce length of north growing branches
- Start when young
- Balance trees throughout their lifetime
19Remove suckers/water sprouts
- Start when young
- Continue through life of tree
- Waterspouts often follow heaving dormant pruning
20Where to prune.
- Above outward growing buds
- ¼ inch above bud
- Cut back to main branch on thick growth
21Pruning
- Cuts should be back to a vigorous side shoot
- Whenever tips are removed, lower buds are
stimulated to grow
22Too Much, Too Little, Just Right
23Thinning
- Allows more light to plants below
- Better air movement, lessens diseases
- Reduces crow roosting
- May need to be done yearly
24Pruning large trees.
- Prune to natural shape
- Drop crotch pruning prune down to next main
branch throughout tree to reduce tree size
25- Maintenance pruning
- Dead or diseased branches
- Water sprouts growing near the base of the tree
trunk or in the tree - Branches that cross which causes rubbing and
consequent damage to the bark - Narrow V crotches should be eliminated
- Branches that are likely to interfere with
telephone or electric wires - Prune branches to increase air flow
- Remove damaged or unsightly branches
26Too Big?
- Trees dont get too large.
- Sometimes we planted wrong tree for the site.
- Replacement with smaller species may be best
long-term option
27Power Lines
28Science and art of pruning
29Avoid topping!
- Regrowth from topped trees is weak and more
susceptible to storm breakage - Reduces lifespan of tree
- May be only option following disaster (tornado)
until new trees are established
30Pruning
- NEVER allow topping, stubbing, or heading back
31Branch Collar
- a swelling at the branch union from the
yearly addition of tissues to the branch and
trunk.
32Where to prune The Branch Collar
- Three point cut
- Undercut
- Stub cut
- Final cut at branch collar
33Tree waltz 1-2-3,1-2-3, 1-2-3
34Compartmentalization of wounds
- New cambium growth heals over old wounds
- New wounds are potential entry points for fungi
- Try to not intentionally wound the tree
35- Tree wound treatments
- Not necessary or beneficial to the tree
- Wound shaping, trimming are not effective
- Brushed on dressings or paint are only for
appearance - Healing is related to diameter growth keep the
tree vigorous and the wound will heal more
quickly
36Treating wounds.
- Leave open to air to dry out
- Avoid using pruning paints unless water may enter
wound on a flat surface
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38Cabling large trees.
39Pruning Tools
- Pinching
- Hand bypass pruners
- Loppers
- Handsaw
- Chainsaw
40Pinching
- Rubbing out undesired buds or tips on new growth
when training young trees
41Bypass pruner..
- Good for small branches when training young trees
and shrubs. - Bypass pruners give a clean cut
- Anvil pruners can crush cambium on new growth
42Bypass lopper
- Used on branches up to 1 ½ inch diameter
- Less cambium damage with bypass type
- Extension handles allow for getting to base of
thorny shrubs and higher into trees
43Hand pruning saw.
- Cuts on pull stroke
- Great when training larger young trees
44Chainsaw..
- Quickly cuts larger branches
- Think safety!
45Prunings/brush as a resource
- Can be turned into woodchip mulch
- Best to compost for a few months
- May be recycled at commercial processing companies
46Pruning evergreen trees
- Pines, juniper, spruce, arborvitae often look
best at natural shape - Prune dead branches, individual branches to
achieve desired form - Do not prune beyond green zone
47Pruning
- When to prune evergreens?
- Pines
- Usually not necessary unless you want to improve
the denseness - Prune candles to ½ length after it is fully
grown late spring - Spruce
- Cut back 1 year old shoots to one of the lateral
side buds or branches in early spring before new
growth begins - Junipers or arborvitae
- During early spring, prune branches back to a
side branch - Inner dead zones do not make pruning cuts into
this zone new growth will only develop from
green twigs
48Evergreen
49Single dead branch
50Pruning shrubs...
51Reasons to prune
- Rejuvenate shrubs
- Improve shape
- Remove dead
- Improve aesthetics
- Improve health
52Rejuvenation pruning thinning
- Thinning multi-stemmed shrubs
- Remove largest, oldest stems as close to the
ground as possible. - Remove 1/3 of plant each year to keep plant young
and vigorous.
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54Heading back
- Used to reduce size of plant
- Selective removal of shoots down in the plant
where they meet another branch - Usually done late fall to mid-July
55 56Shearing.
- Used in formal designs
- Narrow tops and wide bottom gives best light
penetration - Often results in thick, dense growth with little
depth of foliage - Light pruning any time
- Heavy pruning early spring til mid-July
57Spring flowering shrubs
- white spirea
- forsythia
- flowering quince
- lilac
58Summer flowering shrubs
- Bloom on current season growth
- Prune in early spring
- shrub rose
- pink spirea
- rose of sharon
- butterfly bush
- crape myrtle
59Foliage shrubs
- Shrubs grown primarily for foliage should be
pruned in spring before growth begins
- junipers
- mahonia
- sumac
- burning bush
- ninebark
- barberry
60Prune to prevent insect problems
- Ash-lilac borers attack oldest branches
- Lilac remove oldest canes each year
61Pruning
- When to prune evergreens?
- Pines
- Usually not necessary unless you want to improve
the denseness - Prune candles to ½ length after it is fully
grown late spring - Spruce
- Cut back 1 year old shoots to one of the lateral
side buds or branches in early spring before new
growth begins - Junipers or arborvitae
- During early spring, prune branches back to a
side branch - Inner dead zones do not make pruning cuts into
this zone new growth will only develop from
green twigs
62Yews/Taxus.
- Though evergreen, they can be pruned into the
brown zone since dormant buds will often grow
new branches
63Redtwig dogwood
- Grown for bright red branches
- Branches dull after 3 years
- Avoid shearing
- Cut to ground every three years in winter
64Too big?
- Replace with a smaller maturing plant
- Saves maintenance
- Allows for natural growth vs. sheared
65Grafted plants
- Prune any shoots coming from below graft
- roses
- weeping mulberry
- weeping crabapples
66Situation Fruit Trees
- Thinning, not heading back
- Yearly
- Light to the center of tree improves coloring and
reduces disease - Increases penetration of pest control products
67To prune or not to prune.
68Situation
- What is natural shape
- Remove suckers at base
- Remove competing leader
- Remove competition with lighting
69Double leader..
70- Prepared by
- Bob Neier
- Sedgwick County Extension Agent Horticulture
- August, 2005