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December 30, 2020Keeping your plants healthy is one of the most important aspects of maintaining a landscape. If you don’t prioritize certain maintenance activities, things can get out of hand quickly. That’s why it’s crucial to focus on tasks like pruning to keep things looking great all year long. Pruning involves removing certain parts of plants and trees such as branches, stems, and flowers. There are several reasons why pruning is important. First, it helps to keep your landscaping looking well-manicured and stylish. It also helps with the growth and structure of your trees and shrubs, since you are removing dead or diseased stems and encouraging healthy new growth.
If you have yet to master the art of pruning or simply want to learn more about the best ways to handle it, this article is for you. While it takes time to get better at pruning, there are certain techniques that can really help you accelerate your pruning skillset. Below, we are going to discuss some essential tips for pruning your landscaping. After you have read through these tips, pruning all of the trees and shrubs on your property will be a breeze. This article is brought to you by Cal Blend Soils, the leading supplier of landscaping products in the California area. Reach out to Cal Blend Soils today if you are interested in purchasing landscaping products at the best prices or if you would like to learn more about how we can help to improve your property.
Pruning Tip 1 – Less is More
One of the biggest mistakes that new landscapers make when it comes to pruning is that they tend to prune without a plan. It’s important to understand that you can always prune more, but once you remove a part of a plant it can’t be put back on. That’s why it’s important to make sure you are only pruning parts of the plants that need to be worked on. That includes any branches or stems that are dying, dead, diseased, damaged, or broken.
By removing the problem areas of a plant with pruning, you can promote new growth and get rid of areas that can spread disease and cause your plant to struggle. Just keep in mind that it’s important to avoid pruning with reckless abandon, as this can do more harm than good for your landscaping. Less is definitely more when it comes to pruning, so remember to think of this essential tip going forward.
Pruning Tip 2 – Make Sure You Have the Right Tools
Another smart pruning tip to keep in mind as you look to clean things up on your property is to ensure you have the right tools for the job. Using the right tools allows you to cleanly cut your plants and avoid infecting them. There are plenty of different tools to choose from, including loppers, shears, hand pruners, and trimmers. Hand pruners are a good option if you are trying to make precise cuts on smaller stems. You can use secateurs and loppers to get the job done right on thicker stems, just make sure you regularly sharpen them with a fine file and spray them with organic disinfectant to avoid causing harm to your plants.
Hedge trimmers are usually reserved for evergreen hedges and shrubs since they allow you to get clean cuts in a quick and efficient way. Finding success with pruning means taking into account the fact that every plant is different and might require a different size of the tool. Stay flexible and avoid using tools that you know aren’t appropriate for pruning with.
Pruning Tip 3 – Shrubs Require a Special Approach
When you are trimming your shrubs, it’s important to understand that maintaining their natural shape by removing the branches that stick out is the overall goal. Try to avoid shearing flowering shrubs with hedge shears, as this can damage the plant. The idea is to cut back to a bud that faces out, away from the central stem. That way, it will grow outwards and not inwards after you have finished trimming it.
It’s also a good idea to cut at an angle that slants down and away from the bud so that water won’t collect on the wound. Don’t go overboard with pruning your shrubs, as this can result in plants that are stressed and unable to fully recover. Try to focus on one individual branch at a time so that you can target certain areas that need the most work with precision and care.
Pruning Tip 4 – Seasons Matter
Another essential tip for pruning your landscaping is to understand that certain times of the year are better than others depending on the plant you are pruning. If you are pruning evergreen shrubs or hedges, the early spring is the right time to handle this important landscaping task. Summer-flowering trees and shrubs are also good to prune in the early spring since it allows them to focus their growth on the areas that you are cutting.
Spring is a good time to prune roses since there’s usually a lot of them that die throughout the colder months of the year. It’s best to wait until after spring to prune spring-flowering shrubs because it is very easy to accidentally remove stems that could produce flowers next spring. The bottom line here is that it’s important to assess the plants you are pruning and the season you are in before you move forward, so keep that in mind.
Final Thoughts
Pruning is an essential landscaping activity that can really make a difference in the way your property looks. We hope that the tips mentioned above will help you to take your property to an entirely new level of success as you handle pruning like a professional. Remember that you can always reach out to Cal Blend Soils for landscaping products or if you have any questions about how to improve your landscape.