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Correct pruning can
be a "shear" delight. A haphazardly pruned
plant can be as unsightly as a bad haircut. Review these
simple pruning tips before picking up your shears:
NEVER...
- Cut
all shoots or stems to the same height
- Shear
hedges so they're narrow at the bottom
- Prune
any spring flowering plants before they get a
chance to bloom
- Leave
short stubs
- Trim
a shoot or stem without leaving a bud on the end
No more than 30% of a mature
tree's foliage should be removed in any one year.
Selective
Pruning vs. Topping Trees
Select limbs to be removed. Thinning our pruning helps
trees maintain a natural shape. Even proper pruning can
stress trees. Tree wound dressing is not recommended or
needed on any pruning cut or wound. Avoid
"topping" your trees. It usually causes growth
of "suckers" and water sprouts. Water sprouts
are weak, sterile limbs that grow from stubs.
The following common
cuts are used by professional arborists and should be
used with caution:
- Thinning
Cut
Used to shorten a large limb back to a side branch
large enough to resume growth of the pruned limb.
Thinning cuts are the correct choice to maintain
trees.
- Stub
Cut
An indiscriminate cut where no bud or side limb
exists. Highly destructive to the tree and should
be used only when removing the tree.
- Heading
Cut
The result of trimming a limb back to a bud or a
very small branch that can't support the growth of
the pruned limb. Should only be used when removing
a tree.
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