Gardening Tips

In the Grow: Some tips for successful pruning

One fall, I pruned my lilac bush to enhance its shape.

The next spring, it had no blooms. The reason? Pruning should be done to flowering shrubs immediately after they bloom. If you wait like I did, you probably will be cutting off the buds for next year.

“Pruning” includes lots of actions. One is deadheading — removing dead flowers. Not only does this make your plant look nicer, it diverts the plant from spending energy on seed production instead of new growth. It also extends the blooming season.

Pruning also includes disbudding — the removal of buds in a clump so only one bud matures to a larger size. This often is done when growing mums. Similar to disbudding, pinching the end of a stem causes it to branch and be thicker in appearance. This may result in more, but smaller, blooms.

Whether you deadhead, disbud, pinch or perform more significant pruning, there are many basic reasons you need to trim your plants. I have a Rose of Sharon that has gotten too tall. She now has a case of the flops. The blooms are so heavy that they are causing the bush to splay open. After this year’s bloom, I will reduce her height by half and create a much more compact bush that stays in her designated space. Her spread has overshadowed another plant, causing it to die. Her height has caused more blockage of the air to the dog kennel behind her than I wanted.

With all pruning, one goal is to encourage good air flow through the plant to reduce disease and pests. Thin out crowding and remove limbs that crisscross each other. Also remove damaged limbs, and shape the plant. This might include a rounded look on the top to better display the flowers.

Some pruning is done to remove the prior year’s dead limbs as the new limbs emerge. Mums are a good example. Leave the dead limbs through the winter to offer extra protection to the base of the plant, where new limbs will emerge. When you see new growth in the spring, trim the dead limbs off.

Pruning trees generally is done in the dead of winter when the sap is not flowing. Remember, when the leaves appear, branches will hang lower than in February. Prune accordingly.

The type of pruning instrument you use on perennials depends on the size of the limb. From largest to smallest, they are hedge shears, bypass pruners and pruning scissors. I use Felco Number 2s, a well-respected bypass pruner, for the bulk of my work. For trees, you might need hand or chain saws.

If you’d like a great reference for general pruning and for specific plants, try The Well-Tended Perennial Garden, Planting & Pruning Techniques by Tracy DiSabato-Aust. Also, the Greater Kansas City Master Gardeners have a guide sheet (#G6870).

Becky Peck is with the Greater Kansas City Master Gardeners organization. To reach her, call the University of Missouri Extension Center at 816-252-5051.

Source: http://www.kansascity.com/news/neighborhood/blue_springs/story/809761.html