Pruning: What You Need to Know and Why

Having the right tools and knowing how to prune plants make maintaining them more manageable and ensure the plants experience less stress. In this post, we explore why we prune, tools used, pruning techniques, and the best time to prune.

We often see plants sheared into perfect spheres, cubes, and rectangles at homes and businesses. If that is the desired look the owners are going for, then job well done.

Plants in formal landscapes and gardens, topiary, and bonsai all require a high level of pruning to keep their shape and attractiveness.

However, other pruning techniques promote healthy and vibrant plants without pruning sheers. These different techniques reduce how much and how often your plants need to be pruned.

What Is Pruning?

In simplest terms, pruning removes plant parts to achieve the desired results. When it comes to pruning, there are no hard and fast rules. Keep in mind, poor technique results in poor quality plants and more maintenance.

Suppose you want to prune an azalea down to a single stem, you can. But, an azalea doesn’t naturally grow this way. As a result, you set yourself up for a higher level of maintenance.

Why Do We Prune?

Have you ever taken a walk through the woods and seen a plant growing in one of the geometric shapes mentioned above? Of course not; plants have been growing and thriving for millions of years. They have a fantastic ability to adapt and recover from just about everything.

So why do we prune?

For Ourselves

Most of the time, it is for our needs. As mentioned above, we prune for the desired shape. We want plants round or square, a certain height or width. We prune them to enhance the number of blooms or to improve safety.

For the Plants

Other times, we prune for the benefit of the plant. Some examples are:

Removing dead or broken branches. The plant heals quicker with our help.

A disease or insect infects part of a plant. Removing the infected section prevents the further spread of the disease and insects.

Removing one of two branches growing too close together. These branches touch or soon will. The removal of one branch prevents damage to the bark and is best for the long-term health of the plant.

Pruning improves the overall structure of the plant, particularly in young trees.

Tools for Pruning

Every gardener needs a few essential tools for pruning: hand pruners, lopping shears (loppers), pruning saw, and hedge shears.

These four basic tools come in various shapes, styles, and sizes. What’s important is finding a safe and comfortable tool for you to use.

Let’s explore some of the options.

bypass hand pruners — Bypass Hand Pruners

Hand Pruners: There are two basic types. The first is the bypass pruner. These pruners act like your scissors at home. The blades cut by passing by each other. The second type is an anvil. The anvil pruner’s blade is on top and cuts down against a flat metal surface. These pruners are suitable for branches up to 3/4″ (19mm). Anything larger, and you will begin to struggle. I prefer bypass pruners. I think they provide cleaner and more precise pruning cuts.

Lopping Shears (Loppers): Loppers are similar to hand pruners; they are available as bypass or anvil style. They are also available with a ratcheting mechanism. This mechanism increases the force on the limb being cut. Because lopping shears have a larger cutting head and longer handles, using both hands is possible, which increases your leverage and power. Lopping shears are best used on branches up to 1 1/5″ – 1 3/4″ (38-44mm)

Pruning Saw: Pruning saws are best for cuts larger than 1 3/4″ (44mm). Saws make a cleaner cut. Making a large cut with loppers is a struggle. Saws help to reduce this strain. Pruning saws typically have either a folding or fixed blade. Another type of pruning saw is called a Bow saw. All three types are relatively compact and store easily when not in use.

folding pruning saw — Folding Pruning Saw

Hedge Shears: Hedge shears operate on the same principle as bypass hand pruners. They cut with a scissor-like action. As the name implies, they are used primarily to shape plants into either formal shapes or hedges. These types of shears are best for more minor cuts. Anything over 1/4″ (6mm), consider using hand pruners.

These four tools are essential for pruning. They come in multiple variations. Some are gas or battery-powered, and some have extensions that allow you to reach higher in your plants. When purchasing, look for a good, quality tool. With proper care, they will last you for years.

Pruning Techniques

In addition to shearing, there are three other types of pruning. They are heading, thinning, and rejuvenation (renewal) pruning.

Heading Back Cut

Heading back removes a stem or branch back to a lateral bud. The cuts are generally made at a similar height.

The goal is to force a lot of new growth near the pruning cut. This type of pruning can produce a fuller-looking plant. Heading back works well when you want to have a plant in a particular shape.

Thinning Cut

Thinning cuts remove entire stems or branches. When you want to open up the plant so that sunlight can reach down into the inside of the plant, use this technique. This pruning technique also works well when keeping the plant’s natural shape.

Rejuvenation Cut

Rejuvenation or renewal pruning reinvigorates an older plant. As plants age, their ability to produce flowers diminishes, and their branches may become overcrowded.

Rejuvenation pruning help correct this. Remove several of the largest branches to the ground. By doing so, you force new growth to come up from the ground. Repeat this process over the course of a few years until all of the original branches are gone and only new young branches remain.

Removing all of the branches at once is a more aggressive approach. This approach gets faster results with new branches coming up all at once.

CAUTION: Not every plant responds well to this type of pruning. Before you try this style of pruning, research the type of plants you have to see if this approach will work for them.

When to Prune

The type of plant dictates the time of year to prune. Plants are divided into two categories, evergreen and deciduous.

Evergreen Plants

The best time to prune evergreen plants is early spring, just before new growth begins. Pruning at this time allows the plant to heal quickly.

In my experience, it takes a few weeks before all the new growth hides the pruning cuts. Evergreens can also be pruned in late spring thru early summer. Pruning this time of year tidies up all the growth that occurred during the spring.

The worst time to prune evergreens is between late summer to early fall. Pruning during this time increases the risk of new growth being damaged by a frost or a freeze. The new growth doesn’t have time to mature and harden off.

Deciduous Plants

Generally speaking, the timing for deciduous plants is similar to evergreen plants, except when looking at flowering plants. Here it gets a little tricky.

Prune shrubs that produce flowers in the spring soon after they stop blooming and the flowers begin to fade. The new flower buds develop on the new wood that grows and develops throughout the rest of the year. Examples of a few common spring flowering plants are azalea, forsythia, lilac, and, my favorite, the dogwood.

Prune plants that flower in the summer during late winter or very early spring. Pruning at this time produces an abundance of new growth, which in turn produces a lot of new flowers. Crape myrtles, rose of Sharon, and butterfly bush are a few of the summer flowering plants.

Pruning is either an enjoyable part of the gardening experience, or it is another chore that has to get done. Either way, having the right tools and understanding how your plants grow make this task a little bit easier.