Hit the Dirt; Pruning

Hello. And welcome once again to. One of the classically winter horticultural rituals. As with the thinning of vegetable seedlings in the garden the pruning of our beloved trees and shrubs can be a gut wrenching guilt ridden affair especially for those who are relatively new at it. There is a tendency to approach it very hesitantly agonizing over each decision. Fearful of removing too much. But as with the end result is often the reverse. Not enough was removed to achieve the productive healthy anesthetic effect desired by the grower. Personally I do tend to prefer the wild to the manicured look when it comes to landscapes. But while there is definitely something to be said for using a light and letting many of the woody plantings grow and follow their own course yielding a true natural beauty. There are also many instances where a good bit of pruning can yield big benefits especially in the fruit orchard for northern growers. Late winter is often the preferred time to do most pruning the days are warming. So one doesn't have to risk tissue injury that might occur from cutting frozen live wood. The trees and shrubs are still dormant so there isn't likely to be an excessive bleeding of sap from the cut

moons. The lack of leaves allows one to clearly see the shape of the branch framework and this time of year is not often as busy horticulturally as spring through fall. Well these are all good reasons to prune in late February and March in Maine. It is important to know that not all pruning is best done now. Some spring flowering species such as lilacs are best pruned after they bloom. Also even with fruit trees heavy pruning in the late winter may cause excessive growth come spring as the tree tries to replace the lost branches. In such cases supplementing some late winter pruning with some light summer pruning will result in less shock to the tree. When you consider all the various kinds of trees and shrubs and all the various reasons one might want to prune them. The topic of pruning quickly becomes one that is far too large to more than briefly touch upon in a short program such as this. But that is not to say the pruning is difficult. On the contrary it's a skill that anyone can learn to do well to get started. All that is needed are some basic tools a clear vision of the reason behind the

pruning and the grasp a subset of some simple guidelines and techniques. With these and the will to actually cut and cut again your beloved plantings. You can begin to develop a mastery based on practical experience. For tools. A good pair of hand pruners along with a pruning saw and a pole pruners that feel comfortable to use are the basics. Many prefer the scissors type pruners to the anvil type since the latter can tend to crush and damage the wood as it cuts. The important tool maintenance tasks are to keep them sharp to ensure smooth good cuts and keep them clean to limit the spread of disease. All of these tools are commonly available at garden supply hardware stores as well as through horticultural catalogs. As to the purpose behind the pruning this is up to the individual to decide. Some of the more common ones for statics to shape the tree or shrub in a pleasing way for dwarfing to keep the size of a tree down to more manageable proportions. Productivity to increase the yields of edible fruit blossoms and for health to develop a strong trunk and branch framework

to remove diseased wood and to open up the crown so as to increase air movement and prevent roaming. Printing methods will vary depending on the goal in mind and even to attain a specific goal. There are often numerous recommended methods depending on the species to be pruned to get a good grasp of the strategies and styles that the experts use. I would recommend talking to and watching a professional experience grower whose plantings you admire. That's the best way to learn. Second best perhaps if no friendly local horticultural sage can be found is to get some advice from a good book on pruning. Many of the guides include information on pruning a fairly thorough and inexpensive book that I've found useful is intitled pruning simplified written by Lewis Hale. His presentation is straightforward and he covers pruning of all types including hedges ground covers and flowering shrubs as well as vines brambles and fruit nut trees. The title again is pruning simplified by Lewis Hale and published in 1906 by story communications. Three other general guides recommended by the North American food

explorers are pruning a how to guide for gardeners by R. L. Stebbins and published in 1903. The pruning book by Gustav published in 1905 and a book simply titled pruning by Christopher Brook published in one thousand seventy nine. Well I'm about out of time for this week's show but join me again next Thursday for some more pruning talk. With you.