Deciduous trees and shrubs shed their leaves and go dormant over the winter. This is the perfect time to prune them without fear of interrupting their growth.
What you’ll need:
· Hand pruners
· Long handled hand pruners
· Hedge clippers
· Rake
Tip: Sharpen and oil your pruning tools before you start cutting.
Steps:
1. Remove any growth that comes from below the graft (where the top of the plant was originally joined to the bulb). Cut the growth as close to the main body of the plant as possible.
2. Look for and remove any dead, diseased or injured wood. Branches that are different in colour from the main body of the plant are irregular. Injuries may look like splits or blisters. Diseases may show up as black patches along the branch.
3. Cut into the tip of an irregular branch to make sure that it is dead. If it is green on the inside, it is still alive; if it is brown it is probably dead. Keep cutting back from the tip until you reach the green part of the wood.
4. Remove any branches that cross through the centre of the plant; this will improve air circulation and discourage fungal disease.
5. Cut out any competing leaders (the upright growing limbs that will eventually turn into the main trunk). Most trees should have only one main branch heading vertically; multiple leaders sap the energy from a tree and weaken it over time.
6. Prune for shape and size. In the case of fruit trees, keep the branches low so that you can reach the fruit. Most fruit trees look best with a rounded crown, and most roses should be pruned in a low goblet shape. Know the basic shape of the plant you are working on.
7. Remove any water shoots from fruit trees. These are non-productive, light in colour and grow straight up, whereas fruiting wood is crooked and dark.
8. Rake up and remove all pruned branches and fallen leaves. Insects take refuse and breed in fallen plant debris.
Winter is the best time to prune your shrubs and trees as once the plants begin to grow leaves, sap is flowing through the branches. If you prune them, you take the chance of causing excessive bleeding.
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