rationalise a plant at the wrong time might slay potential flowers or invite disease .
Con Poulos
It is just as important to hump whennotto prune as it is to know when you should prune your plant life . Otherwise , pruning can cause more damage than the press clipping is worth . Certain weather and plant characteristics can leave in too much accent from pruning injury andopen the plant ’s system to disease . Keep trees , shrub , and perennials in top shape with these tips on when you should never prune plants .
Credit:Con Poulos
1. During drought.
Pruning set off works to produce fresh growth . Ample moisture is call for to to the full take form new leaves and staunch . Drought - punctuate plant life usually direct all available moisture to essential plant want . Pruning during drought diverts water supply from essential plant needs and often result in overall plant dieback . waitress to cut until the plant is fully hydrated , even if that time is the following growing season .
2. Evergreens in winter.
cut back evergreensin wintertime makes them more susceptible to wintertime damage . dusty wintertime wreathe regularly dry evergreen leafage . An open pruning injury causes evergreen plants to mislay even more valuable water system . expect to prune evergreen until early spring .
3. When trees and shrubs are going dormant.
plant life scientist vie that declivity is the worst time to prune tree and shrubs . Woody plant are slowing growth and readying themselves to survive wintertime . Pruning stimulates growth , efficaciously reversing theplant ’s dormancy preparation . The tender new growth is susceptible to winter combat injury , as are fledged plant share that are not by rights prepared for winter conditions . Wait to crop woody trees and bush until late winter or early leap .
4. Wet conditions.
body of water spreads many diseases . Avoid pruning annuals , perennial , and woody plant after a rainfall or while dew is present in the morning or evening . hold off to trim until the plant leafage is completely dry .
5. Right before blooming.
Flower bud form calendar week or month before Tree or bush bloom . Trimming plants before they bloomcuts aside flower bud and , in most lawsuit , cancels flowering for the growing season . Many Tree and shrub bring forth just one set of flower buds ; if the blossom buds are rationalise away , the flora will not give rise new flower buds . Wait to prune until after the trees and shrubs flower .
6. Woody plants in early winter.
Pruning woody plants in early winter personate two challenge to plant health . First , pruning can spur emergence . Tender new growth that emerges in early winter is peculiarly susceptible to damage ; damage shoots and fore are entryways for pests and disease . Second , dormant trees and shrub cut back in early winter can not seal the pruning wound as rapidly as actively develop plants . Dormant plant are acquire so slowly that pruning wounds remain unfastened much longer than common . Open wound are portal vein for pests and diseases to come in the plant . await to prune trees and shrubs until late winter or former spring .
7. When certain plant diseases are present.
Some woody plants , such as oak and elms , are especially susceptible to disease when prune at certain time of the year . Elms , for example , should not be prune in springor summertime when the destructive elm bark beetle is actively move from tree diagram to tree diagram , calculate for an open lesion to recruit the plant . Fall is the best time to prune elms ; elm bark beetles do not vanish in autumn . Do n’t cut back oak trees in fountain or summer when sap - feeding mallet actively circularise oak tree wilting disease . Wait to prune oaks in late wintertime . Check with your Extension government agency or local public garden to see more about vulgar disease vectors in your region to watch for .
8. When sap is flowing.
quash pruning plants that get large measure of sap in belated winter and spring . Although a large sap flow after a pruning slash is seldom harmful to Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , it is mussy , and excessive sap can damage the bark below the pruning cut . Wait until later summer to prune trees with large sap current such as birch , elm , and maple .
Marty Baldwin
Essential Pruning Tips
Whether you are pruning a little Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree or a repeated , use these pruning tips to raise a intelligent , long - lived industrial plant .
1. Remove dead, damaged, and diseased material right away.
Cut away the “ 3 Ds ” as shortly as you see them . idle , damaged , and diseased root are entryways into the flora for plague and diseases . Prevent plant job by regularly glance over for and removing compromise fore and branches .
2. Respect the one-third rule.
When pruning , never remove more than one - thirdof the plant ’s mass . Removing more than one - third of the foliage or stems greatly limits the flora ’s power to sustain itself . If massive pruning is needed , spread the projection over three years .
3. Skip wound treatments.
house painting or seal pruning cuts do more terms than good . The wound dressing can step in with the plant ’s power to varnish the wounding and trap wet and pathogen at the website .
Credit:Marty Baldwin
