You may have heard the terms “rejuvenation pruning” or “renovation pruning” and wondered what it meant. What exactly is being “rejuvenated” or “renovated”? Basically, it involves cutting a shrub right down to the ground. That’s right – just whack the whole thing down to ground level or just a little higher. Surprisingly, shrubs that respond […]
Late Winter Pruning Tips
Late winter is the ideal time to prune many types of deciduous trees, shrubs, and vines. However, the trick is knowing which ones to prune now and which ones to leave until later. Here are a few general guidelines to help you prune the right thing at the right time. The following should be pruned […]
Five Questions to Ask Before Pruning Anything
Pruning is an acquired art. It takes practice but, most of all, it requires an understanding of what you’re doing and why. That’s what our course, Pruning With Confidence, will teach you. But even if you don’t take the course, these five questions will help you decide what to do. WHAT kind of plant am […]
Tree Topping: What, Why and Why Not
What is Topping? Topping is the practice of drastically cutting back all of a tree’s larger branches at a random point to make them shorter. The result is a tree with large, stubby branches sticking out in all directions. Effects of Tree Topping Topping a tree is often sold to the homeowner as a way […]
How to Identify Deadwood
It can be hard to tell if a branch is dead or just late in producing leaves or flowers. Deadwood doesn’t suddenly turn a different color or put out a sign saying “I’m done. Please prune me.” So how do you know what’s truly deadwood and what’s still living? Here are some ways to identify […]
Why Late Winter is the Best Time to Prune
If you had to pick one time of year to prune, the best choice would be late winter. Now I know there are exceptions (like removing dead, damaged, or diseased stems at any time, or removing suckers and watersprouts in late summer), but there are some very good reasons why late winter is best in […]
Pruning Versus Trimming: What’s the Difference?
Both pruning and thinning are intended to reduce the size of a shrub but they’re done quite differently and with different tools. Trimming This is what many people do when they’re not sure how to prune their shrubs. They get out the hedge trimmer and shear away the outermost branch tips to form a neat […]
Types of Pruning Cuts
Basically, there are three types of pruning cuts. Each type of pruning cut is used for a specific purpose. Reduction cut Removal cut Heading cut Reduction Cuts This is just what it sounds like – it reduces the length of the branch or stem. The key is that the cut is made just beyond a […]