Pruning

In order to maintain a successful garden, pruning is required.  Knowing what you are doing is the key to success. One doesn't have to be an expert to prune but learning and practice is vital. When pruning, its key to remember that it is being done for the removal or reduction of certain plant parts that are not required, no longer effective, or that are of no use to the plant. Often it is done to supply additional energy for the development of flowers, fruits, and limbs that remain on the plant.

Pruning, which has several definitions, essentially involves removing plant parts to improve the health, landscape effect, or value of the plant.

Tools:

Reasons for Pruning

• to train the plant
• to maintain plant health
• to improve the quality of flowers, fruit, foliage or stems
• to restrict growth

When to Prune

• Can done at any time of the year; however, recommended times vary with different plants. 
• Do not prune at the convenience of the pruner, but rather when it results in the least damage to the plant. 
• the best time to prune most plants is before new growth begins. 
• The least desirable time is immediately after new growth develops. A great amount of food stored in roots and stems is used in developing new growth. This food should be replaced by new foliage before it is removed. 
• Prune plants damaged by storms or vandalism or ones with dead limbs as soon as possible to avoid additional insect and disease problems that may develop.

During Pruning

• Removes all dead, broken, diseased or problem limbs by cutting them at the point of origin or back to a strong lateral branch or shoot. 
• Make any training cuts needed - By cutting back lateral branches, the tree or shrub is trained to develop a desired shape, to fill in an open area caused by storm or wind damage or to keep it in bounds to fit a given area. 
• Always avoid destroying the natural shape or growth habit when pruning unless maintaining a close watch over the plant, for after a period of time it attempts to assume the more natural growth habit.
• Make additional corrective prunings to eliminate weak or narrow crotches and remove the less desirable central leader where double leaders occur. 
• After these cuts have been made, stand back and take a look at your work. Are there any other corrective pruning cuts necessary? If the amount of wood removed is considerable, further pruning may need to be delayed a year or so. 
• Remove water sprouts unless needed to fill a hole or to shade a large limb until other branches develop.

Pruning is an art thus the beauty of its natural shape should be still in tact at the end.