Prepare for Spring Pruning of Trees and Shrubs

When in doubt do not be too quick to prune. If twigs are flexible, they may still grow. If twigs snap easily when bent, however, and do not show any interior greening close to the bark, they could be dead and should be removed. The most severe cold damage often occurs on the most exposed plants, or on upper portions of plants that were not protected by snow or windbreak provided by buildings or other plants. Before beginning the pruning operation, be sure to have the proper tools in good condition. Without proper tools pruning can become a chore and may even damage plants.

Three tools are basic to good pruning and should be a part of every good gardener's equipment. Have hand shears for pruning small twigs, or branches up to 3/4 inch in diameter. In addition to spring pruning, hand shears are useful for many other garden activities all year. For pruning branches 3/4 to 1 ½ inches in diameter, use loppers. Loppers have long, strong handles that give good leverage for shearing off branches that are fairly thick.

Trying to cut branches of this size with hand shears is not only difficult, but may damage the shears. Pruning saws are essential for cutting branches thicker than 1 ½ inches in diameter. There are different types, but one of the most useful designs has a curved blade with fairly coarse teeth that cut on the pull stroke. Twigs and branches heal best when cuts are smooth and clean. Therefore, sharp tools not only benefit plants, but make pruning faster and easier.

Three techniques are basic for pruning trees, shrubs or evergreens. They are thinning out, heading-back, and rejuvenation. Pruning is often a combination of all three techniques. Thinning out means removing the branch or a shoot completely back to a different principal branch or tree trunk. No large stub persists, so the wound heals and is hidden quickly. For plants that sucker heavily at the base, thinning out may also mean cutting out at ground level some of the many shoots. It is a method used to give a plant light to medium pruning while maintaining natural beauty and reducing size.

Heading-back generally means a lighter pruning. Selected twigs are cut back to healthy side buds. With this method, stubs remain but side buds close to the cut tips soon develop new shoots that cover wounds. This method, when done yearly controls size without changing the basic appearance of plants. Rejuvenation is method for severe size reduction of large, overgrown shrubs, and is particularly suited for flowering shrub renewal.

Severe size reduction should be done gradually. Therefore, rejuvenation may be spread over two to three years. The oldest branches are totally cut back to ground level while remaining branches are headed-back and thinned-out. Extremely large shrubs should have about one-third of the old wood removed each year in a three year rejuvenation program.