How Do I Safely and Effectively Prune My Vines, Bushes, and Trees?

We want to help you understand how to prune your vines, bushes, and trees.

And as a quick aside --- we are here to help you purchase a new tractor when the time is right.

Let’s get to it.

Definition

We are going to begin with a quick definition.

Pruning is a horticultural and silvicultural practice involving the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as the roots, buds, and branches.

Function

You are basically removing damaged, diseased, dead, non-productive, structurally unsound, or otherwise unwanted tissue from your crop and landscape plants.

In general, the smaller the branch that is cut, the easier it is for a woody plant to compartmentalize the wound --- and then limit the potential for any pathogen intrusion and decay.

Timeline

Typically, pruning works best in the late fall or early winter.

Most plants respond well to pruning when they are dormant. Some species will tolerate light pruning during the growing season.

You may want to make any necessary formative structural pruning cuts to your young plants, rather than removing large, poorly-placed branches from mature plants.

Proper pruning will keep your perennial bushes, vines, and trees healthy and attractive while maintaining the beauty of your landscape.

Tools

There are some basic tools required for pruning.