Pruning Made Easy
(Page 2 of 4)
Prune raspberries and other fruit bushes little or not at
all when they are young, then annually remove the oldest
wood and thin out the youngest wood. The younger the wood
on which most fruits are borne and the more new shoots that
grow each year from ground level, the more severe the
annual pruning will need to be.
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At planting, cut grapes and other vines back to a few buds
to channel energy into growing a single stem (sometimes
two). From then on, training depends on the type of fruit
and the kind of trellis or arbor you provide.
New fruiting stems arise where old stems are cut back to
within a few buds of permanent branches or the trunk.
DECIDUOUS BUSHES
Most deciduous shrubs look best growing as a fountain of
stems. Because they naturally send up new stems from ground
level each year, they can be pruned so that old, decrepit
stems are in a continual state of replacement by young,
vigorous ones. Do not prune at all when the plants are
young. Despite all that is said and written about roses,
they are just another deciduous shrub and can he pruned as
such with fine results.
Prune with hand shears or a Topper, not hedge shears. Use a
Topper to cut some of the oldest suckers to the ground or
down to low. vigorous replacement shoots. How much to cut
varies from shrub to shrub. The more new suckers a plant
makes each year, the more suckers you have to remove.
Forsythia and red-twig dogwood both need more pruning than
witch hazel or smokebush.
Shorten lanky stems that arch all the way to the ground and
remove any overcrowded stems in the center of the shrub.
Prune shrubs that flower early in the season right after
their blossoms fade. Prune shrubs that flower from summer
onwards just before spring growth begins.
DECIDUOUS HEDGES
A few deciduous bushes make nice hedges, although many look
best grown informally rather than sheared. In either case,
their lack of leaves in winter is offset by their dense
twigs. Cut back plants drastically when you plant, to
promote low branching and vigorous growth. For formal
hedges, shorten main and secondary stems just before the
plants begin their second season of growth.
