Pruning Basics

Pruning is the selective removal of living plant parts, including branches, stems, buds, flowers and fruits, to improve plant structure, manage size, repair damage or promote new growth. It is usually done on woody plants such as trees and shrubs. It is performed for a number of reasons, including improving health and safety, controlling size, opening vistas, reducing storm damage, removing suckers from rootstock, preventing disease or insect problems, and providing clearance for structures and traffic.

A few basic pruning cuts can greatly reduce a tree’s maintenance needs, and ensure that future growth is healthy and structurally sound. These include thinning and shortening cuts, which remove specific branches to their points of origin or attachment. Thinning cuts enhance light penetration and manage size by reducing the density of the crown, while promoting new growth throughout the entire crown. In general, thinning should be performed on mature trees to encourage more vigorous growth and increase air circulation.

Shortening cuts remove a branch or twig to a lateral branch that is at least one-third the diameter of the limb being removed. These cuts remove the tip of a branch or twig, but leave a stub that will eventually grow into a new branch. The stub is used to promote new growth, and should be cut at a slant to prevent water from collecting in the wound and slowing recovery.

Unlike shearing, which destroys the natural shape of a tree or shrub, training prunes are made by cutting back lateral branches to force the plant into a desired form. This is most often done with evergreens to reduce their size or to keep them within bounds to fit a landscape design, fill in open areas caused by storm damage, or simply to maintain a manageable size for a long period of time. Training prunes should be done in early spring when temperatures are above twenty degrees and before spring growth starts.

When determining the proper pruning size for a tree, it is important to remember that a tree’s final height will be determined by its mature height and spread. The most common mistake people make when determining tree size is selecting a tree with an inappropriate mature size for the site, resulting in the need for drastic pruning to maintain the desired height and spread.

When determining tree size, it is important to use a standard unit of measurement such as inches or feet. To measure a tree, stand at a distance where you can see the whole tree clearly and hold the end of a tape measure or yard stick upright against the trunk at breast height. Using a partner to help hold the tape or yardstick, measure from where the top of the tree leaves or bark begin, to where the tree base begins. This is called the “diameter at breast height” (DBH).

source https://realtreesolutions.wordpress.com/2024/06/08/pruning-basics-2/