To Prune or Not to Prune, that is the question.

To prune properly you need to know the 5 W’s and H of pruning: why, when, what, where, who and how.

Pruning is essentially plant surgery and stresses a plant. Understanding the W’s and H go a long way toward insuring that you do as little harm as possible and that the plant will thrive under your care.

Why

Before you prune a shrub or tree make sure you understand the reason to prune. Are you trying to remove dead, diseased or dying plant parts, improve the appearance or health of the plant, influence fruiting or flowering, rejuvenate an old plant, train a young plant, improve safety or control plant size?

When

The time you prune has a major impact on results and is determined by what you’re pruning and why. Dead, diseased and damaged plant parts can be removed anytime. The best time to prune most woody plants is in the late winter, just before they break dormancy (just before sugaring season). This ensures that their ‘wounds’ will heal quickly as the growing season starts. But, be careful, spring flowering shrubs, like lilacs or forsythia, should be pruned right after they bloom or you’ll sacrifice spring flowers.

What

What are you pruning?

Pruning techniques vary with what you’re trying to accomplish and what type of plant you’re pruning. Is the plant deciduous or evergreen, needle leaved or broadleaf, spring or summer flowering, fast or slow growing? What is the plants natural growth shape or pattern? Some individual plant species are more susceptible to diseases that can be transferred during pruning. Knowing which ones they are and properly timing your pruning can limit exposure. Some plants can handle heavy pruning and recover quickly while others can be killed by cuts that are too severe.

What to remove?

• the three D’s: dead, diseased, and damaged
• rubbing or crossing branches
• watersprouts (vertical shoots from branches)
• suckers (shoots from the base of the tree or shrub)
• extraneous growth

Where & How

You know why, when and what you’re pruning so where do you make the cuts and how do you make them?

DO

• use pruners, loppers, and pruning saws
• ensure your tools are clean and sharp
• make cuts directly above, ~1/4 inch, a side branch or bud

DON’T

• leave stubs, ragged edges, or bruised bark
• use hedge trimmers (unless you’re pruning a hedge)
• remove more than 1/3 of the plant in any one season

Who

You! Do some reading, go to a demonstration, take a class or find a coach. Pruning isn’t difficult once you know the basics. If you’re not comfortable doing it yourself, or if there’s a chance your feet would need to leave the ground, hire a professional. Look for someone who has documented training in pruning, is a Certified Landscape Professional or is a Certified Arborist.

The UNH Cooperative extension website has several good handouts on pruning specifics (http://extension.unh.edu/resources/tag/pruning).

Happy Gardening,

Patty Laughlin, NHCLP, AOLCP

Owner/Head Gardener

Lorax Landscaping

Epping, NH