Most gardeners fret when they hear the term ‘pruning.’ Contrary to popular belief, pruning is a pretty simple and straightforward process. But it is crucial to have the correct information before you start pruning your garden.
Pruning promotes the growth of healthy plants. However, you have to use the proper pruning technique to obtain the best results.
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The best time to prune my garden
Each plant species is different. Therefore, the best time to prune your garden often depends on the type of plant. Professionals usually recommend the best times for pruning based on the plant types.
Spring pruning
Plants that start flowering from July to October should get pruned during spring. Some deciduous plants also fall under this category.
Pruning these plants in spring will encourage new and healthy growth in the plant. Some of the plants that require spring pruning include:
- Hibiscus plant
- Butterfly bush
- Spirea japonica
- Hardy fuchsias
- Summer pruning
Summer pruning is best for plants that start flowering from November to June. It would be best to prune these plants once they complete flowering.
This way, you enable them to develop a solid and upright shoot, leading to an abundant harvest.
When pruning these plants, always eliminate weaker branches that appear fragile. Moreover, it is advisable to adhere to all the recommended instructions when summer pruning.
Some of the plants that require summer pruning include kerria, Philadelphus (mock orange), Ribes (flowering currant), and Weigela.
When do you prune deciduous trees and shrubs?
The best time to prune deciduous plants is during spring or winter. Remember, deciduous plants often shed their leaves.
During this time, they send nutrients to their root reserves to keep the plant healthy. So, pruning during spring or winter will allow them to have adequate nutrients in their roots.
As a result, they will grow healthier. But pruning deciduous trees and shrubs during summer will take away all the nutrients stored in the root reserves.
This will cause the plant to grow weaker and puts it at risk of dying.
When do you prune evergreen trees and shrubs?
Unlike deciduous plants, evergreen trees and shrubs do not shed their leaves or have root reserves to store nutrients.
Thus, they are best pruned after they start flowering. Pruning evergreen plants during winter or autumn puts them at risk of damage.
However, if you need to restore an evergreen plant due to over-pruning, you can do this towards the beginning of spring.
Ensure you get rid of all wilted and dead flowers. Also, consider removing unhealthy stems and branches to foster new growth.
When do you prune newly planted trees and shrubs?
Young plants do not need as much trimming as older plants. With new plants, it would be best to prune them lightly. Moreover, if you notice that your young plants require shaping, consider pruning them.
Even so, you have to be careful when it comes to pruning newly planted trees and shrubs. Remember, these plants are in their early stages of growth.
So, handle them with care to avoid interfering with the growth process. However, as they grow, prune them more often.
Long Beach tree service experts helps with trimming trees to make sure that trees are healthy as they grow. For some trees, a simple DIY procedure may not be enough.
Importance of pruning my garden
It is essential to know why you should prune your garden. This way, you’ll be more intentional about taking care of your garden through pruning.
Below are some of the benefits of pruning your garden.
Boost healthy plants:
Pruning encourages the growth of healthy plants with strong stems and branches.
Failure to prune your plants releases some toxic chemicals that could damage the plant. These harmful chemicals are often found in the upper section of the plant.
Once you prune this part, you prevent the plant from getting damaged. In turn, you receive an abundant harvest.
Eliminates dead leaves and branches:
When pruning your garden, you have the time to identify and remove dead leaves or stems.
Also, pruning enables you to spot diseased plants. Thus, pruning helps you keep your plants healthy at all times. In fact, you can prevent the spread of a deadly disease just by pruning.
Separating rubbing branches:
Pruning your garden enables you to get rid of crossing or rubbing branches. Consequently, this allows all your plants to obtain sufficient nutrients.
At times, rubbing branches could make some parts of the plant weaker. If you notice this, you can detangle the plants through pruning.
Promote proper aeration in your garden:
Another advantage of pruning is that it fosters maximum aeration in your garden. Through pruning, you encourage a healthy plant framework.
Therefore, each plant in your garden obtains maximum aeration. Pruning helps you prevent overcrowding of plants in the garden.
Regulate your plants’ size and shape:
Occasionally, some plants tend to grow faster than others. Subsequently, they end up forming a shadow over smaller plants.
In turn, smaller plants grow weaker since they cannot get enough amount of sunlight. Pruning enables you to level all the plants in your garden. And this makes all of them attain equal levels of sunlight, moisture.
This allows you to get a plentiful harvest at the end of the day. Likewise, you can always maintain your desired plant shape through pruning. Pruning enables you to keep your plants in perfect shape.
Improve the garden’s aesthetics:
As mentioned earlier, pruning enables you to create your desired garden framework.
When pruning your garden, you can always choose to put the fruits or flowers at each plant’s focal point to boost the garden’s aesthetics. It all depends on how you want your garden to appear.
Now get down to pruning
From this article, it is clear that the best time to prune your garden depends on the type of plant.
Typically, some plants require summer pruning, while others require spring pruning.
So, before pruning your garden, it would be best to understand the type of plant you have. Then, you can proceed with pruning using the right type of pruner.
Ultimately, pruning your garden is essential since it helps you harvest plentifully. There are numerous benefits of pruning. So, ensure you prune your garden from time to time or hire gardening services.