A Stress Reliever

Expressions and terms can hang on for generations (even in the pruning world), passed down and accepted without question.
Good news for those who haven't heard: Trees do not bleed. That expression refers to instances, mostly in early spring, when pruning often releases liquid from cuts . If a pruning cut is a "wound" then, naturally (in human terms) "bleeding" would follow. What this actually is, in plant physiology terms, is sap flow, a normal part of a plant's defense system. No harm is done when this occurs.
Feel better? I did.

Pruning in the Blog World

I am delighted to be entering the world of blogging. My terminology will improve as I work with this important format. So, welcome to Pruning Matters. I would like everyone who enjoys gardening to know about my easy approach to pruning. I will answer any and all questions relating to pruning that you might have. Pruning is fun, rewarding and advantageous to the plants in your garden and to you.
I welcome your suggestions for topics. As I build this site, there will be many ways for you to benefit from the knowledge I've acquired over several decades. So let's begin with my first list of helpful tips.

Eight Steps for a Better Pruning Experience

This time of year has us checking off many projects that get our lives in order, both inside the house and out in the garden. Pruning is a part of our garden maintenance each year and can be a frustrating process for some people. Let's elevate the experience to a more enjoyable level by following these steps:

1. Invest in top-quality equipment that executes clean, precise pruning cuts. To maintain a plant's natural habit, refrain from using electric or gas-powered pruning tools. Wear safety goggles. Purchase comfortable, close-fitting gloves, tough enough to provide suitable protection.

2. Start slow. Patience will help produce favorable results. If unsure of a plant's growth in a season, prune out a maximum of 1/3 from the plant. If you know a plant will grow vigorously in one season, then you can prune it more severely.

3. Tarzan and Jane we are not! Stay on the ground to prune; save the riskier, higher work for the tree company experts (arborists). There is plenty of work to do on the shrub and small tree level, with less of a struggle and quicker, more gratifying results.

4. Work with your plant. Pruning and respecting a plant's natural growth habit requires patience. The results add aesthetic highlights to your garden. Premeditated pruning cuts (one cut at a time) with a trained eye can guide the growth of a plant in a more natural, pleasing manner; it also reduces pruning in subsequent years. On the other hand, haphazard pruning cuts stimulate undesirable, atypical growth that in turn increases your need to prune. Avoid whack and hack in your pruning vocabulary;try using prune, trim, lighten and shape instead!

5. Prune the easy plant material first i.e. the dead, diseased and damaged branches. Prune these branches back to where they join their host branch at the branch collar. This step will greatly improve the appearance of your plant. Also remove any vines and competing plant material within the outer circumference of your shrubs and young trees; this increases air circulation and allows water and nutrients to reach the plant more easily.

6. Train your eye. It is important to see what should be removed from a plant and equally important to see what should remain. For instance, if you want to rescue a deciduous shrub in height, establish with your eye the level of branches that will become the new top of the plant. Take hold of each branch that grows beyond this new height level and follow it back inside the plant to where it joins the next branch; make your pruning cut at that juncture. Work your way around the plant, pruning out the branches exceeding the new height.

7. Step back and observe your work from time to time. Keep the symmetry and form of the overall plant in mind as you work. A difficult pruning decision at close range is often decided more easily from a distance. Don't prune too long in one section of your plant; prune uniformly, encircling the plant multiple times as your remove branches.

8. Pruning in moderation is not fatal to your plants. If the temperature is agreeable to you and there is work to be done, then head outside and enjoy your pruning experience!