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"Prune With A Purpose"

by: Skip Richter, Travis County Extension Horticulturist

Late winter, just before the greening of new spring growth, is the best pruning time for many plants in the home landscape.   Pruning is perhaps the least understood of all gardening chores. Incorrect pruning results in poor growth, improper growth, unnatural plant forms, and poor flower or fruit production.

We should prune with a specific purpose in mind, not just because it is pruning season.   Proper pruning can shape plants, remove diseased or winter-damaged limbs, or shorten a plant that is outgrowing its space. Pruning improves flower production on roses and crape myrtles.   It helps fruit trees stay vigorous and productive. Proper pruning can also help rejuvenate an old shrub.   

Clipped hedges require regular pruning.   The gardener looking for low maintenance should not establish a clipped or formal hedge, but instead direct growth in a more natural form.   This is especially true of many native plants and certain non-natives which look ridiculous when they are sheared up like a French poodle!  

Different types of plants are pruned at different seasons. Spring-flowering ornamentals such as azalea, quince and spirea should be pruned after they bloom in the spring. Fruit trees, vines and bushes are pruned in late winter.  

Evergreens such as junipers, ligustrum, photinia and euonymus may be lightly pruned throughout the year.   Summer flowering shrubs and trees such as althea, vitex and crapemyrtle and our deciduous shade trees respond best to late winter pruning. To reduce the threat of oak wilt we prune susceptible oaks in winter when the beetles that spread it are not active.

Roses that repeat bloom through the season should be pruned just prior to the spring growth in late February or early March.   "Once bloomers", including many of the climbing roses, should be pruned after their spring or early summer blooms.

Berrying ornamentals such as hollies and pyracantha produce berries on old or second-year growth. A continual removal of a large percentage of the new growth on these plants eliminates potential berries.

Plants may need a bit of light touch up work throughout the season.   Gangly canes or shoots may be trimmed back whenever they appear to maintain a plant's form.

Arborists debate the general benefit of wound sealer products. They may have some benefits if used properly and maintained through follow up applications. However, no one really ends up doing that and cracks in the sealed surfaces then form which allow water through, slow drying of the interior wood and promote decay. Therefore they are generally discouraged except in the case of oak trees, which are usually painted immediately after cuts are made to reduce the danger of oak wilt infection.

When removing large branches, the gardener should cut back to just outside the collar or raised ring where the branch attaches to the trunk.   Cutting at this location eliminates stubs that promote decay of the heartwood, while also preventing cutting too close to the trunk, which increases wound size and delays healing. Call your County Extension Office for more information on proper pruning techniques.

Helpful Web Sites On Planting and Pruning Trees

The following web sites from the International Society of Arboriculture provide great info to guide us in proper tree planting and pruning:

New Tree Planting

http://www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/consumer/planting.html

Pruning Young Trees

http://www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/consumer/young.html

Pruning Mature Trees

http://www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/consumer/pruning.html