| Spring is the principle season for pruning | | | | but will almost invariably result in a pruning wound |
| evergreen trees. In adopting a correct approach | | | | which will become a source of rot and decay. |
| to the task, the gardener should be focusing on | | | | It is natural to believe that our hands are the |
| two separate but connected matters. On the one | | | | principle part of the human anatomy by which we |
| hand, we are interested in the tree growing in the | | | | prune trees. This is utterly wrong! Professional |
| desired manner, all the while recognizing that | | | | gardeners do not prune with their hands, but |
| pruning is liable to seriously affect the future | | | | rather with their eyes. Thought as usual precedes |
| long-term health and survival of the tree. In this | | | | deed. Always have a clear idea as to which |
| regard, we should never forget that the tree | | | | branches are to be pruned before even touching |
| stands unmatched as the single most significant | | | | the saw or secateurs. Secondly, after removing |
| and precious feature in the garden. | | | | one branch, do not proceed to the next, but put |
| Pruning trees for shaping depends mainly on the | | | | the tools down, step back from the tree and look |
| natural growth habit of the species concerned. At | | | | at what you've done, revising your initial plan if |
| one extreme, there are the plants whose natural | | | | necessary. |
| shape is so strongly defined that pruning, at least | | | | From the angle of the plant's health, two crucial |
| for shaping purposes, is unnecessary. Two | | | | points should be recognized. Firstly, removing |
| examples are Palms and Cypress trees. At the | | | | excessive material at one session can seriously |
| other end of the scale are trees such as | | | | reduce the energy level of the tree. |
| Hawthorn or Elm, which tend towards a wild, | | | | Arboriculturists have reduced the whole complex |
| untidy habit. Many, if not most garden species, | | | | of tree care to a matter of maintaining a positive |
| require at least some pruning. | | | | energy gradient within the specimen. As a rule of |
| A golden rule for shaping purposes is to avoid | | | | thumb, one may remove, as an absolute upper |
| shortening branches, because this "stops" the | | | | limit, one third of the volume of the tree. To be |
| natural direction in which the branch is growing. | | | | safe however, I recommend pruning no more |
| Instead, limbs that are earmarked for removal | | | | than half that figure. If there are many branches |
| should be cut back to the trunk or thicker branch | | | | to prune, then it is best to stagger the work over |
| to which they are attached. In time, it appears | | | | a couple of seasons. |
| that nothing has been pruned at all. This does not | | | | Secondly, the pruning wound should be as small as |
| have to apply though to young stems that in | | | | possible in relation to the width of the trunk. Large |
| some species shoot forward as long, but thin | | | | pruning cuts do not heal properly, even if the |
| leaders. Such a growth pattern is common | | | | wound appears to have completely calloused over. |
| amongst citrus trees for example, and there is no | | | | The result is bacterial or fungal infections that lead |
| harm in clipping these leaders, in order to | | | | to rot and decay within the heart of the tree. In |
| encourage lateral growth. | | | | cases where the branch to be removed is too |
| It is important to remove at the juvenile stage, | | | | thick in relation to the trunk, it can be shortened |
| those stems that are clearly liable to be | | | | to a stub of a about a meter in length, (3 feet) |
| troublesome when they thicken over the years | | | | and sliced back further every few months, as |
| into mature branches. The most obvious | | | | though it were a salami or cucumber. This has the |
| candidates for early removal are stems that | | | | effect of retarding the thickening of the branch, |
| grow parallel to the trunk, or whose angle to the | | | | and while the trunk continues to thicken over a |
| trunk is too small. Pruning out a young stem is | | | | few years, its diameter remains the same. |
| often a matter of a quick snip with the secateurs. | | | | Consequently, when the final pruning cut is made, |
| Attempting to saw a thick branch however, is not | | | | the wound will be of an appropriate size relative |
| only time-consuming (the lesser problem by far) | | | | to the width of the trunk. |