Pruning is an essential gardening practice that alters the form and growth of a plant. Pruning can be considered like preventive maintenance of plants by which many problems may be prevented when done correctly.
What are the reasons for pruning?
- Prune to promote plant health: It removes dead plant parts injured by disease, any severe insect infestation, eaten away by animals, damaged by storms, or other adverse mechanical damage.
- Prune to maintain plants: Pruning helps in encouraging flower and fruit development and also in maintaining a desired plant form or special garden forms especially used in landscaping.
- Prune to improve plant and garden appearance: Pruning is required to control plant size and shape, keeping shrubby evergreens well-proportioned and dense. It also helps to remove unwanted branches, and undesirable fruiting structures.
- Prune to protect property: Prune out weak or narrow-angled and sharp branches that overhang homes, parking areas, and sidewalks.
When to prune?
Best time to prune your plants is when they are in active growing stage. For flowering plants, pruning should be done after the flowering season gets over in order to avert snipping-off the newly developing flower-buds during its blooming duration.
