Early Spring Pruning

One of the first tasks to be undertaken in the garden is springtime pruning. Not all woody plants need to be pruned in the spring, but here are a few good reasons to get out the pruners:

1. To clean by removing any dead, diseased or damaged branches
2. To reduce the overall size of overgrown trees or shrubs
3. To thin out any branches back to the parent stem to allow more light and air to pass through or to remove any crossing branches that could cause future wounds
4. To maintain a formal shape

Most species of trees and shrubs can be pruned except for:

1. Evergreens - do not prune until they are actively growing.
2. Early flowering shrubs that bloom on last year's wood - (i.e. lilac, forsythia, mockorange, cranberry, white flowering spirea, etc.)  If you do, you will remove some of the spring flowers.

Traditionally we would not prune Maple and Birch trees until fully leafed out, but new research shows that the 'bleeding' of these species from pruning in spring does not adversely affect the trees.  So if you need to do some pruning, go ahead.

Once you have decided what needs to be pruned, ensure that the plants are still dormant; in other words still in bud.  There is less stress on the plants and the risk of being infected by insects or pathogens is reduced.

Finally, a couple of other basic rules to follow include:

1. Do not prune more than 25% of the total volume as you will be removing some of the stored energy reserves that will be needed to recover from winter
2. Make a clean cut to an outward facing bud to facilitate healing
3. If removing a diseased branch, disinfect tools after each cut not to spread the disease further
4. Do not cover any wounds with a paste - let it heal naturally

Pruning is not as difficult as it appears, but if you have any doubt about what and how to prune, call an arborist.  Pruning appropriately does help to keep your plants structurally sound and healthy.