When Is the Right Time to Prune?

Posted on 14/10/2020

Proper Time to Prune Trees and Shrubs

Let’s get one thing out of the way first. Some people who delve into the world of gardening for the first time may wonder, What is pruning? Well, pruning is the process of cutting or removing branches off shrubs and trees in order to control the growth of the plant, to stimulate the growth of fruit buds, to rescue it from dead or diseased branches, and so on. It is one of the skills a gardener should acquire in order to have a healthy garden and acquire experience in reliable gardening. It is better if you have some experience with pruning before you actually start to practice it actively.

The frequency of pruning depends on many conditions. For instance, what is the purpose of the pruning? A light pruning is the removal of dead wood and can be done at anytime so long as you are sure that the branch you want off is dead. Other types of pruning are more specific, so let’s deal with them seasonally.

Summer
Summer pruning generally should be used for controlling the growth of the branches and the shape of the plant. Scan a tree or shrub for defective growths and cut off the warped branches to maintain a plant’s regular shape. Summer pruning is also done for corrective and slowed produce. You should wait till the regular seasonal growth of the plant is over and then prune everything that grows extra, otherwise its leafing becomes uncontrollable.

Winter
Winter pruning is vital as most plants are in dormancy during this season. You can make use of the season and wait till the coldest temperatures have went away to start the process. This is the perfect time to remove the dead wood from a dormant tree and shape its form so that it grows a specific way. When problematic parts of a tree have been cut off, once the plant wakes up and starts blooming, you will see the result of your work in the rigorous growth and unobstructed flowering.

Autumn
Skip the pruning in this season and do not cut anything off. This season is when decay fungi spores spread around and healing is slowed down significantly. If you cut something off, it might heal or it might not, or it might not heal completely before the winter dormancy starts and therefore the plant may become misshapen. Autumn pruning should only be done by expert and reliable gardeners who know exactly what they are doing and how to tend to a plant without bleeding it out.

Spring
Spring pruning is what you do when you want to enhance the flowering of the plant. For the trees ad shrubs that usually see their blooming in the spring, prune the fading flowers and see the increase you added up for soon enough. To enhance the flowering of plants that bloom in mid- to late summer, you should prune them in early spring. This is the season when you could feel scared to cut off leaves or whole branches, especially considering all the flowers on them, but this should affect you only in the beginning. Once you gain experience and see the benefits of getting rid of the fading branches, you will take no more notice of it and the process should become automatic.

Learning the correct way and time of pruning will add for a great garden maintenance and will give you the experience you need to keep your plants strong and shapely, and always growing the way you like. That way you can look for deformities and work towards growing perfectly healthy and strong tree or shrubbery.