Pruning can improve the look of your plants. Most plants grow better and stay healthier with a little pruning. You just have to know when to do it. Although pruning can be very intimidating, it actually helps to train the growth of plants. Failure to prune at the proper time may result in stunted growth.
It is best to prune flowering plants after the flowering season. It is wise to remove all the unattractive wilted blooms, dry leaves and twigs in order to encourage additional growth and fuller plants looking their best.
There are basically two types of pruning: pinching out and cutting back.
Pinching out means nipping out the growing points of a plant as this encourages dormant buds just below the nipped out one to grow into a side shoot. This helps the plant to become bushier with more flowers and foliage. Pinching out is easy and quick to do. You can use a sharp knife to do it.
Cutting back means hard pruning, sometimes as much as half of the main stem of a leggy plant. It can make a lopsided plant symmetrical, an over large plant more compact, or a leggy bare-stemmed plant bushy, and it encourages new growth from the base. You can use sharp secateurs to do this.
You would need the following basic tools:-
Hand pruners or secateurs
Loppers
Shears
Saws
Always keep your pruning tools clean; if you prune a diseased branch you can easily spread the disease throughout the garden. Remember to wipe the blades with rubbing alcohol and when dry add some oil or grease to the blades to prevent rust.
Until next week, happy gardening!
