Pruning Your Trees and Shrubs

Pruning is a vital process to enhance the health of trees and shrubs, manage size, shape and form, repair storm damage, improve structure, promote new growth, increase sunlight penetration, and improve overall landscape aesthetics. Generally, pruning consists of removing dead or dying branches and limbs, crossing or rubbing limbs, branches with thorns below eye level, suckers from rootstock, water sprouts from limbs, and other objectionable growth. Pruning also includes thinning and shaping the canopy of the tree or shrub to allow light and air movement through the plant.

A well-maintained landscape is one of the best ways to add value and curb appeal to your home. However, over time, plants can become overgrown, interfering with sidewalks, streets, driveways, and walkways. Overgrown plants and shrubs can also impede the growth of grass or other plants in the area, causing them to suffocate. Often, the only solution is to prune and trim the overgrowth back into a manageable size.

In addition to the health benefits of pruning, regular trimming of overgrown trees and shrubs can help control insect pest populations. For example, many insects live and thrive in dead or dying branches, spreading diseases to the rest of the plant or tree. When these limbs are removed, the disease can’t spread. This will help to keep the insects and other pests from colonizing and damaging other healthy limbs in the future.

Overgrown trees and plants also pose a safety hazard, creating potential damage to your home during strong winds or hailstorms. In addition, they can obstruct sidewalks and roadways, or interfere with utility lines. Regular pruning can greatly reduce these hazards, keeping the area around your home safe for pedestrians and vehicles.

Using the proper tools and techniques, pruning can be done for a variety of reasons. Some of the most common pruning objectives include:

Improving a Tree’s Health

Thinning is the practice of removing a tree’s dense outer growth to open up its canopy and provide better sunlight penetration. This can be done on shade trees, as well as ornamental and fruit trees. It can be performed in all seasons, although summer and fall are the preferred times for this type of pruning.

Most shrubs and evergreens that produce needlelike or scalelike foliage should be pruned right after they bloom, as their flowers are borne on wood produced that year. This includes azalea, rhododendron, mountain laurel, forsythia, lilac, rose-of-Sharon and more. Other shrubs and perennials that benefit from being pruned after they flower include lilyturf, chokeberry, beauty bush, snowberry, coralberry and more. When pruning these plants, always cut back to or above a branch or bud and never leave stubs. It is important to understand that stubs are more likely to die than properly cut stems or branches. For this reason, it is essential to hire a professional with the knowledge and experience necessary to prune these types of plants correctly.

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