Pruning

Pruning is a vital part of plant and tree care. The following guide can be useful to help you prune properly.

Three basic tools suffice for most pruning jobs: shears, loppers, and a pruning saw. Keep them sharp for clean cuts; disinfect after pruning diseased material.

1. Prune Roses

Prune in winter or early spring when plants are still dormant. Prune plants to maintain symmetrical bushes and to encourage strong new growth. Cut back all previous years growth approximately one-third its length. Remove branches that cross through center and remove plants understock. Also prune weak and dead stems as needed. This tends to encourage strong new growth. The new and very popular “Knockout Roses” are really best left alone unless you find dead spots on them, prune them as soon as you see them regardless of the season.

2. Prune Crepe Myrtles

The best time to prune crepe myrtles is in February. Prune out twiggy stems and any dead wood. Thin out crossing or crowding branches in the plants center. If tree form, prune lower branches. Prune top ~to keep symmetry. Each year after flowering, cut 12 to 18 inches off the tips of branches that have bloomed.

3. Prune Hollies

Prune in winter or early spring mostly to shape plants. Cut back wayward branches and prune out weak unproductive dead stems as needed.

4. Prune Butterfly Bushes

Butterfly bushes bloom in summer on new spring growth. They may be pruned in late winter or early spring. By pruning old blooms you are going to encourage new flowers. Also prune out old dead and unproductive branches.

5. Prune Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas fall into two groups. Some you prune in early spring and others after the flowers fade.

1. Early Spring Pruning

Hydrangeas bloom on new growth. These plants are Climbing Hydrangea, Annabelle, Grandiflora, and PeeGees.

2. After-Bloom Pruning

Hydrangeas bloom on last years stems. Included in this are Bigleaf Hydrangeas, Oakleaf Hydrangeas, Lacecaps, SummerBeauty, and Nikko Blue. Pruning should be done when the flower has faded. Cut back the flowering stems to the strongest pair of new shoots. As plants mature, begin to thin out the oldest woody stems. Remove crowded crossing, broken, or dead branches.

6. Prune Clematis

Clematis can be put in three categories: Spring-flowering, summer-flowering , and twice-flowering.

1. Spring-blooming

Clematis produce flowers on stems that grew in the previous year. Prune when flowers are done blooming. Cut back the flowers that are dead. Prune out any old dead stems also.

2. Summer-blooming

Plants bloom on new growth produced in the spring. Cut back stems before new growth begins. Late autumn or early spring is a good time to prune. Cut back about 12 inches of old growth. Every year the vine will grow larger and stronger.

3. Twice-blooming

Plants first bloom in spring on stems produced the previous year. Late summer or fall would be the next bloom time. In late fall or very early spring, prune lightly to thin the stems. After the spring bloom, prune more heavily to get more healthy stems to develop for the next bloom. After the second bloom, prune old flowers away.

7.Prune Fruit Trees

By far the most common fruit trees are apple, peach, pear and cherry.

1. Apple Trees

Apple treesneeds to be pruned in late winter or early spring before new growth starts. Always remove all suckers (summer is a superb time). Also remove dead along with otherunproductive limbs as needed.

2. Peach Trees

Peach trees are fast growing and ought to be pruned in winter. Without pruning the peaches will grow farther from the tree’s center. This may put great strain on the branches, causing them to break. In winter, thin out upward-growing branches that cross in tree’s center.

3. Pear Trees

Prune back in early spring. Always prune dead and unproductive branches as needed.

4. Cherry Trees

Prune in winter. Prune out branches that cross in center and dead unproductive branches as needed.

8. Prune Azaleas and Rhododendrons

They may be pruned in winter or early spring. However pruning at that time will prevent plants from producing many blooms. The most effective time to prune azaleas and rhododendrons is definitely after their blooming period in spring.When you prune at that time, no additional pruning is going to benecessary.

9 Prune Junipers

Junipers need very minimal pruning. They ought tobe pruned to correct their shape, to accent their form,as well as to limit their size. This should always be done during the juniper’s growing stages in mid-summer.

10. Prune Flowering Trees

Flowering trees need to be pruned once they have finished blooming. Prune as little as possible. Dead branches, branches that cross in the center, and branches which are unproductive need to be pruned out.

Three basic tools suffice for most pruning jobs: shears, loppers, and a pruning saw. Keep them sharp for clean cuts; disinfect after pruning diseased material.

Viv has a question about growing berries:

Viv’s Question: My brother needs some “info ” about boysenberry and raspberry, how to plant and care for them. He has some planted, but they are having problems. Something to keep them healthy, or what to give them to make them happy? Anything you can provide will help him.

A. I have this fabulous site from Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service for you to read in depth and print out the pages for him. Here are some portions:

Boysenberry – the berries are large, strongly flavored, soft, and medium to late maturing. When disease free plants are used, Boysenberries may produce well for 4 to 6 years. One selection is thornless, the other has very small thorns.

Cultivated blackberries do best on sandy loam soils with added organic matter. However, they will tolerate a wider range of soil types than will most other fruits. Good soil drainage and 2 1/2 to 3 feet of unrestricted rooting area are necessary for best plant performance. A site with a slight, north facing slope is preferred to help prevent spring frost injury and to protect plants from southwest winds in summer. Additional wind protection may be necessary, because succulent first year canes exposed to strong winds may be blown over and broken from the root system.

The crowns and root systems of blackberries live for many years. However, new canes arise from the crown each year and live for only two years. During the first year, the canes grow to their full height. The second season, these canes bear fruit and die. During their first growing season after planting, erect blackberry plants often produce prostrate to semi-erect canes. Erect canes will be produced in the following years.

Berries should be permanently mulched with about 4 inches of organic material such as pine bark or wheat straw. This mulch will help control weeds, conserve soil and moisture, and prevent winter injury to crowns. Mulching also promotes growth of the extensive fibrous berry root system. Since the need to cultivate for weed control is reduced by the mulch, fewer berry roots are broken, producing fewer unwanted sucker plants between the rows.

After the first year, apply fertilizer to the berry plants at bloom time to stimulate plant growth, increase berry size, and boost total production. A second application of fertilizer should be made following fruit harvest to stimulate vigorous cane growth for next season’s production. Use a total of about 10 pounds of a complete fertilizer such as 10-20-10 or 5 pounds of ammonium nitrate per 100 feet of row. Apply one-half of the fertilizer at bloom time, and one-half soon after fruit harvest.

First-year plants are allowed to produce as much growth as possible without pruning or training to a trellis. Established plants grow new canes while the old canes are fruiting. During the summer, prune off the last few inches of new canes, leaving them 3 to 3.5 feet tall. This is called “tipping.” Tipping forces the cane to develop lateral shoots from buds near the top portion of the cane. Fruit produced the following year from pruned canes will be at a convenient height for harvest. The fruits will be larger, cleaner, and of better quality than if canes are not pruned, because most of the fruit will be farther from the soil.

http://www.okstate.edu/OSU_Ag/agedcm4h/pearl/hort/frtnuts/f6215.htm

I live in Ohio and just bought 4 blueberry bushes. Can you tell me what kind of ground to plant them in? Is there any thing special I have to do?

A. Soil: Blueberries grown anywhere love an organic, slightly acidic soil, very well-drained, so that the roots breathe well and the water flows downward. Till in before planting to enrich the soil. For existing beds, mulch as described below.

Water: Make sure the plants get enough water. Blueberries form most of their flower buds for next year’s crop from July until October. Water stress will reduce next year’s crop.

Pruning: Once blueberry plants attain the desired size, major pruning should be done immediately after harvest. Confine the cuts to the removal of dead, broken and low-hanging limbs. Large limbs that drooped from an excessively heavy crop should also be headed back. If the plants are taller than can be conveniently harvested, reduce height by selectively removing the older canes.

Fertilizing: On established plants (3 years and older), apply 3 ounces of either 16-4-8, 12-4-8 or ammonium sulfate fertilizer per plant. This application is to encourage good, healthy flower buds for next year’s crop. Many people want to grow all their fruit organically, without applying pesticides. Few fruits can be grown entirely without pesticides. However, the amount and frequency of the use of pesticides can be greatly reduced if you follow a few simple guidelines.

First, select varieties that are recommended for the area.

Second, good sanitation is essential. Remove dead or diseased limbs and fruit as they appear. This may not control the problem completely, but it can help to check the spread.

Third, follow correct cultural practices. Excessive nitrogen fertilizer or heavy pruning will stimulate vegetative growth. The new growth is frequently the site of initial infections of diseases and insects.

Finally, weed control is much easier if plants are mulched. Mulching will also help conserve soil moisture. Remember, pesticides can be valuable tools in growing fruit, but a little common sense and fast action can help cut down on the need for spraying. A number of small fruits have excellent ornamental characteristics, at least in the eyes of a fruit enthusiast.

Above edited from: Sid Mullis, University of Georgia Extension Service office in Richmond County.

Give them full sun for most of the day. Fertilize them in the early spring as buds break. Do not feed heavily. I think for a couple of years you want to let your plants establish a good root system so plucking the flowers off would be okay, and then in the 3rd or 4th year allowing them to fruit.

Mulch heavily in late fall and again in early spring, with grass clippings/leaves [especially acidic Oak]/pine needles, which reduce the soil pH, which is very good!] Mulching in this manner helps acidify the soil, helps improve moisture retention, and ‘feeds’ the plants, as well.

Make sure not to disturb the roots, as this seems to set the plants back. Better to mulch heavily and gently pull the weeds than to cultivate as the roots are very sensitive to the soil being worked.

Whatever you do, stay away from the Aluminum sulfate some garden centers/nurseries sell as a blueberry fertilizer/soil acidifier. If you MUST do something further to lower soil pH, get some iron sulfate. Fertilizing with MirAcid should help also.

A. Plant black and purple raspberries with one plant per hill. Thin all but 7 or 8 of the strongest and thickest stems as the new plants grow. Either after harvest or the following spring, prune off close to the ground those canes that have borne fruit.

If waiting until spring, prune before the buds begin to swell but after danger of frost has passed. In the summer top the first-year canes to encourage a strong plant with fruitful side branches. Top new canes of black raspberries when they reach 24″ tall by cutting or snapping off the top 2-4″ growth.

Repeat with purple raspberries when the canes approach 30″ tall. During the following dormant season, cut back the side branches on new fruiting canes to increase berry size. On black raspberries shorten the laterals until they contain 8-12 buds or are 6-10″ long. Prune purple raspberries, which are more vigorous, back to 11-16 buds. Then cut back any spindly or short laterals.

Ideally the plant should have 4-5 strong fruiting canes remaining. Use the same procedures described for black and purple raspberries for red raspberries but eliminate the summer topping. Topping reduces yields of red raspberries.

These raspberries normally do not produce any side branches because the canes are not topped to encourage branching. Grow red raspberries in a hedgerow and do not let the row spread wider than 18″. Thin individual canes by cutting them at ground level so they are spaced 6-10″ apart.

Leave the largest diameter canes which are the most productive. After the harvest remove canes that have borne fruit. During the dormant season, head back canes growing within a wire support by one quarter of their length.

If there is no support, keep the canes at about 3′ tall.

Treat everbearing cultivars similarly, but leave the first-year canes that have just fruited intact in the fall. They will fruit again in summer after which they can be removed.

When planting blackberries in a hedgerow, restrict upright cultivars to three or four canes per plant and cut or pull out the rest. Allow 12-18 shoots per foot with trailing types. Prune blackberries the same as black raspberries with one exception: Leave laterals on second-year canes 12-18″ long.

Thin trailing blackberries to 7 or 8 canes per plant by removing unwanted canes at ground level. Shorten the canes to about 5′ long and tie to a stake or trellis. Omit the summer topping.

On upright-growing blackberries top new shoots back to 30-36″. Cut or pull out excess sucker shoots during the summer or the plant will develop into an unruly thicket. Like the other bramble fruits, these berries are biennial and require annual pruning.

Support the canes on a 36″ wire stretched between two poles. In spring thin all but 5 of the first-year canes and remove the old fruiting canes. Let the new canes grow on the ground until they exceed 36″. Then tie them to the support and head them just above the wire to encourage strong lateral branches.

The following spring cut the laterals to 18″; they will fruit later in the summer. Remove fruiting canes at ground level after harvest. Each type of bramble has a unique growth pattern that needs an individual pruning technique.

To understand how to prune brambles such as raspberries and blackberries, realize that these are biennial producers. Each spring new shoots arise from the crown but do not flower or bear fruit until the second year. Cut these canes back to the base when they die after fruiting. Unpruned plants develop into a thicket that gives the name bramble true meaning.

There is an exception to this life cycle. Canes of everbearing brambles produce a crop late in the first summer and repeat with another crop in midsummer of the second year before they die.

Assistance from: http://www.gardenadvice.com

It’s really hard to miss the fact that our planet needs our help. It’s all over the news and TV and has been for the past few years but I don’t see a lot of people doing anything to help. We are…

It may not seem like much but we have started gardening and planting more plants, trees and shrubs to help scrub the air of impurities.

I watched a video this morning that I found on WayneChecker.net and thought it was needed on my site as well. Take a few minutes and check out what Sophie has to say and then start doing your part if you aren’t already.

This is our first year at composting because we thought it was going to be complicated but it wasn’t and we wasted a couple of year while still adding waste to our local landfill instead of composting it and adding it to our backyard garden as fresh soil.

We started composting in the spring and have been totally amazed at how it has broken down into dirt, and has become great top soil we would have been paying for while we were sending yard and kitchen waste to the landfill.

Forgive us Mother Nature.

Wasting Potential In Our Backyard

I gave them a rough measuring this morning and they are taking up a minimum of 12 feet of the front of our property along the side walk. What a waste of space.

When we moved here just 4 years ago you could jump over them but now you would just land on your face right in the middle if you tried that today.

They are even growing out into the sidewalk area, which is unacceptable in my mind. I know how much I dislike having to walk around bushes pushing out into the sidewalk or needing to duck to miss branches hanging out. So, they have to either be trimmed or removed and they aren’t anything we want so they will be removed. It will just take some time.

The two in front of the house, the north side of the driveway, are still managable but the other two get way more sun all year round and are getting to big for that area.

We also have some rose shrubs that grow here and there on our property. I like them when they are well kept. They would make a great divider between the sidewalk and the rest of our yard. Just to keep the kids from the area from wandering into our yard to play hide and seek.

I see rose shrubs bordering yards on my walk and some look good while others don’t look so good. The difference is how the owners tend to them them. Those that keep them trimmed have the best by far.

And when they flower they are gorgeous. I will have to learn how to prune them to get the best blooms of course.

When we moved here just over three years ago the kids could jump over the pine trees there but now they would have to be able to jump six feet high and fly for about 15 feet to land safely on the other side, so they do make for great privacy but they are full of weeds coming up the middle where you can’t get at them. They gotta go.

Jenny just walked in and said she doesn’t want to come home and find them gone on Monday. If I had that kind of energy they would be gone, so it will be done slowly so she won’t receive too much of a shock.

Sometimes it is difficult to achieve colors for all seasons. There is no iota of doubt that everyone would love to see a garden full of blooms through out a year. You have to plan well for your garden to have colors for all seasons. You have to go into every detail of the flowers. Like when is their bloom time? What kind of soil they need? What is their range of height? Do they require full sun or partial sun and partial shade? When you come to know all the above details you can plan your garden in such a way that they have colors throughout.

Lets us see all the ways which will help us to keep our gardens in color all season:

1. Deadheading

Removing dry blossoms is the easiest and simplest way to keep your plants blooming. Annuals particularly will profit from an occasional deadheading. Flowers actually produce seeds. Once seeds are formed the plants have no reason to bear flowers any more.

Many recurrent flowers will also bloom again if deadheaded. Exclusions are recurrent that bloom on one tall flower stalk. They are the astilbe or iris. Also perennial flowers that require a chilling season to blossom are also exclusions to recurrent reblooming.

2. Shearing

Deadheading cannot be applied to flowers that have multiple buds on their flower stalks. Deadheading becomes a nightmare in that case. In this case they can be sheared unto 1/3 of the plant. This you can do till all the buds fade. This rejuvenates the plant. New fresh leaf and lots of new flower buds will appear. The plants retrieve quickly. Early bloomers seem to be draggled by the middle of the season.

3. Pruning

A cunning way to sustain the perennial blooms is to clip the plants in steps. Try to divide the plant into three sections like the front, center and back. As soon as the plants grow about 6-8″ tall, you can cut the front and center by about 1/3 to 1 / 2. Now let the plant grow again to 6-8″ tall and now you have to prune the front section in the same dimension.

This type of trimming will ensue plants turning into 3 levels and so it can bloom in sequence. The rear part blooms first and as it fades the center portion blooms. Finally the front part will bloom. The front section actually grows very tall and this helps in hiding all the withering plants behind it.

4. Re-Seeding

To extend the bloom of annuals you can re-seed quick growing annuals. This will be about 4 weeks soon after the initial seeding.

5. Feeding

Plants spend a lot of vigor in flowering. The more they blossom, the more food they demand. So take care and keep on adding good soil, water them properly and add fertilizer.

6. Produce colorful foliage

Flowers come and go but the foliage remains. Sprinkle the beds in your garden with a few shrubs and include sprinting annuals. You will have colors through the season.

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