After working over some dogwood trees I was going to write to that topic. As the season progressed I saw a greater need to write about general pruning. Most importantly I would caution all gardeners about the hiring of so-called experts. Easy pickups I say. Having a pickup truck and a chainsaw does not make an arborist. Never hire someone who stops and tells you that your plants need pruning and that he will do it right away. Ask and check for references. Best yet … go see their work. If their top pruning is like this pass! New York City has even created a "Citizen Pruner" license .... Please read! With 28 years of pruning experience I am appalled. That said, our own city licensed gardeners are equally incompetent, yet they can leave three foot stubs on Garry Oaks and get paid for it. :-(
When hired, ask them to sterilize their tools. Alcohol, TSP, hydrogen peroxide will do. In dealing with dogwoods, maples, cherries or most other deciduous material the tools should be sterilized between trees. A simple spray mister will do the job.
A few general guidelines:
1. Start pruning smart. When the plants are young and the future form can be established.
2. Envision the plant shape and your final goal before you start. Proper spacing of limbs should be planed, with an eye to the size of the final girth, NOT the size it is at the moment.
3. Time your pruning to the type of tree, weather conditions and ability to spray.
4. Begin with dead wood and everything that is diseased and open up the inside of the tree. Sterilize with alcohol, hand sanitizer, even mouthwash. Use of bleach or TSP will need oiling of the tool.
5. Always use sharp tools and make cuts without leaving stubs, but do not cut into the collar of the tree. I was about to caution about cheap knock off pruners such as the 2.99 pruners at Rite-Aid. I thought they might be cheap Chinese imports. Turns out I ended up by buying one for root pruning. I lent it to a customer I was teaching and found out how sharp it was indeed. Peroxide and bandaids should always be near at hand. Duct tape as well.
6. Always be aware of timing. Although most deciduous trees can be radically pruned in Feb. Japanese Maples and Pines are better pruned when the sap movement is slower. Summer-Fall. Dead wood in Japanese Maples can and should always be removed, at any time of the year.
7. Water sprouts, crossover branches and strong V’s should be removed. Large limbs should always be cut a foot away from the tree ... then only cut off at the trunk.
8. The best pruning accomplishment is when the tree does not look like it has been pruned. Hard to do.
Reasons to prune
Foremost, one prunes to control plant size and to shape the plant to meet the needs of your garden. Sometimes this can be reducing the size of the plant or actually making it more upright to allow other plants to grow beneath. Pruning branch and leaf growth back after transplanting can also make up for root loss. Sometimes this can be overdone. Good staking or in the case of Bonsai, wiring of the root ball can be just as important. All such interventions should be removed in due time.
Pruning will also aid in increasing the health of the plant. This is especially true of fruit trees. Fruit production will be increased. Removing dead or tired wood such as in blueberries will also create healthier new growth in the next season.
Pruning maples and other brittle trees may also minimize damage to snow, wind or ice damage. Bad crotches that split may not just mean the loss of one limb but of the body it was attached to as well. Leaves on Acer dissectum should be removed before winter. The cleaning of leaves both above and on the ground will assist you in being able to spray a dormant spray to combat disease. This should be done in early winter as well as be repeated in the spring. Oil sprays can be used in-between to address insect issues.
Myths
It is hard to learn. Hire someone who can show you the basics and once shown that can be laid to rest.
Killing or removing a tree is a crime against Gaia. If you have a totally diseased tree or it is in the wrong place, or simply was given to YOU to bring back to health, consider your own needs first. One has only so many hours a week to take care of your plants. Concentrate on what is valuable and delete what is necessary. As we grow older, tough love is a must. And no one will inform Plant Amnesty.
Timing. All pruning needs to be done in the winter and or if done at the wrong time of the year they will die. Walnuts and some other bleeders might actually be more damaged during winter pruning. Magnolias for one prefer summer pruning, if necessary.
Pruning paint. All surfaces need to be painted. The use of petroleum-based tars is actually harmful to the tree, encouraging bacteria under the surface and prevents the cambium to seal the wound. There are other products on the market and even specific paraffin based paints or Vaseline can be a better alternative. I am going to experiment mixing the paraffin paint with some potters clay to make it look more 'natural'.
There is much more to learn. Timing may be the most misunderstood and I will talk more on this issue on our website, Monthly Notes, but always remember that even if you make mistakes it will usually not mean the plants demise, but simply a hiccup in next years growth or floral display and an incentive to learn and do better. Sometimes even experts make mistakes.
http://sites.google.com/site/dungenessbonsaisociety/
(C) Herb Senft
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