Using a Pruning Saw

Pruning saws usually have backward pointing teeth and cut on the pull stroke, not the push. This is important when pruning trees from a ladder since you pull yourself into the tree, not push yourself away.

Pruning a lilac bush

Lilacs grow very tall and develop thick trunks after 8 years, or sooner. New shoots that come up from the roots are not given much chance by the older wood, and it is necessary to amputate the old wood at or near ground level. Do not do this all at once. Instead gradually remove the oldest trunks over 3 to 4 years to keep the shrubs producing flowers as the new canes rise to replace the removed ones.

Avoid pruning side branches on young trees

When pruning young trees avoid removing the many small side branches that occur along the trunk. These lateral branches help the trunk increase in base diameter or caliper making for a sturdier tree. Laterals also shade the trunk, and reduce the chances of sunscald injury and act as guards warding off equipment operators, animals and vandals.

Benefits of pruning

Pruning will encourage your plants to grow and produce more leaves, larger flowers, and bigger fruit. Shade trees can be made shadier, annuals can be encouraged to bloom all season, perennials will yield two or more surges of blossoms, roses will be stimulated to bloom until fall, and flowering trees and shrubs will reward you with a beautiful display.

Pruning tools

Three tools are used for pruning: pruning shears for removing shoots and small stems; long handled lopping shears for larger stems; and a pruning saw for large branches. A sharp pruning knife is also a good investment for cutting back soft summer growth and trimming around large wounds. Besides these, only hedge shears will be needed if you have a hedge that is formal and needs shearing.

Why prune?

Pruning controls the growth of plants by keeping them within bounds and preventing them from outgrowing their space. Through pruning, you can urge a tree to grow tall, persuade a shrub to stay small or symmetrical, and stop branches from intruding on neighbors or encroaching on walks or other traffic areas.

Pruning your Douglas Fir

Douglas fir can be sheared to a cone shape when young, but older trees should be left unpruned. Usually firs are never pruned except to remove scraggly or dead growth, and this is done in winter.

Pruning young trees

Tree pruning should begin at time of planting. But avoid the temptation to "thin" a young tree´s crown excessively. Research has shown that post-plant growth is more rapid and trees will establish sooner if pruning at planting time is limited to removing only weak, dead, diseased, rubbing or injured branches. By removing these obvious defects, young trees are able to use all available foliar resources needed to develop a strong root system and to overcome planting stress.

Pruning guidelines

After a young tree has become established in the landscape (usually one year after planting), pruning really becomes a job of "training". Two general pruning rules to follow:
1. Training or pruning can take place progressively over the next three to five years and
2. No more pruning should take place in a single year than is needed to enhance the shape or structural strength of the tree.

Tips on buying a pruning saw

Some pruning saws, known as “double-edged” pruning saws, have coarse teeth on one side and fine teeth on the other, used for large and small jobs. These are fine in trees, but I do not recommend them for pruning shrubs or pruning in a constricted place. You can easily injure the bark or damage a branch you intended to leave with the teeth on the back of the blade. I prefer a single-sided saw with a slightly curved blade.

Branch removal from trees-method used

The best technique when pruning tree branches is to cut the branch off, leaving the branch collar intact. Do not cut the branch flush with the trunk. At the point where a branch joins the trunk there is a swelling called the branch collar, and if you cut just outside this collar, the tree is able to close the wound itself. However, if you flush cut the branch (removing the collar), the tree has far greater difficulty closing the wound and is left open to invasion from pests and diseases.

Consequences pruning back perennials too early

If perennials are cut down too early, when they are still actively growing, one concern is that they might put on new growth, use the carbohydrate reserves that were meant for the following season, be hit by a freeze and not return the following year. If in doubt, you are better off to leave the plant unpruned.

Tips for purchasing pruning shears

Invest in a pair of good durable pruning shears (secateurs). There are two types of pruners: bypass, where the blades pass each other like scissors; and anvil, where one blade cuts onto a flat plate. Which you choose is up to you, but it is worthwhile to pay the price for quality. Cheap pruners will soon get blunt or bent under normal pressure. I highly recommend Felco brand pruners; they may be expensive, but a pair should last a lifetime and the parts are replaceable.

Guide for pruning tree branches

Use the following decision guide for size of branches to be removed:
1.under 5 cm diameter - Go ahead,
2.between 5 and 10 cm diameter - Think twice
3.greater than 10 cm diameter - Have a good reason!

Rejuvenation technique

The most drastic pruning of overgrown plants can be used with broadleaf evergreens (hollies, privet, azaleas, boxwood, southern magnolia, etc.) to control overgrown, leggy or scraggly growth or on specific deciduous shrub species such as lilacs and spirea. This is done by cutting the entire plant to the ground or selectively removing one third of the oldest and largest limbs each year. This method is called “rejuvenation,” because this category of shrubs will send out new trunks from the root system to replace the old, unproductive or oversized limbs.

Removing broken tree branches

Pruning helps maintain the health of your trees and shrubs. When tree branches break and limbs die, your plants weaken and are susceptible to insects and disease. Just one branch rubbing against another can leave the plant vulnerable once the protective bark is rubbed away. Each time you go into the garden, take your pruning snips along and remove branches that are dead, broken, or rubbing against another.

Avoiding pruning mistakes

It is easy to ruin a plant by overly vigorous pruning. Do not give shrubs a “crew cut” unless they are formal accents, geometric or hedge-like. Instead, cut back here and there, shortening straggly growths, letting the shrub have a natural in-and-out habit. Shrubs such as bridal wreath spirea have a natural arching habit and should be pruned this way. The aim is to keep a shrub as natural looking as possible.

Cutting back perennials

You should cut back the foliage and stems of perennial plants at the end of their growing season while they are dormant. Pruning can help reduce maintenance problems for the following year as well as lessen the chance of over wintering pests and diseases. Some perennials should be cut back purely for aesthetic reasons, since they can detract rather than add to the look of a winter garden.
Be careful that you don't cut back too close to the crown which can cause some plants to become damaged over the winter. Leave 2-3 inches of the stem above ground.