Once mid-to late winter arrives or once you trees are free of foliage is a good time to prune. You can hold off until early spring, right before spring foliage starts but it’s up to you. One pro of spring pruning is that it you won’t be so flipping cold while outside – and it’s not as easy to prune well while wearing tons of warm layers.
Why prune?
- To remove any dead, diseased, or broken branches.
- To get rid of any suckers or wild growth.
- If you’re transplanting a tree, pruning can help compensate for root loss.
- To keep a tree within your yard boundaries.
- To aid production of larger flowers or fruit.
- To shape your tree in a specific way.
- To keep branches away from creating potential hazards such as branches that are getting to close to power lines or a house window.
There are a few times you’ll want to prune typically – at first planting which helps the growing process, to get the tree to the desired height (which of course will vary), and after the tree is at the height you want you’ll want to prune when the above situations apply; for example broken or diseased branches.
The best way to learn to prune is with visuals or actual professional help if you’re nervous about it – cutting a tree at first can seem scary. You can hire a pro for the first one or two pruning sessions, watch them, then keep their skills in mind when you prune. OR get a book with adequate visuals. Most general gardening books have sections on pruning, just make sure the instructions come with images to help you along. One good, but slightly older book you can refer to is American Horticultural Society Pruning & Training. I like this book because it’s really broken up well into easy bite sized chunks with tutorials that take you step by step through the pruning process. That said, it might be more book than you need if you don’t prune often. You can also see some online pruning guidelines, but a take along book is still better IMO.
Post from: Blisstree