PRUNING PERFECTION: REASONS ABOUND FOR WHY TREES, SHRUBS NEED TO BE TRIMMED

At this time of the year I get several calls about pruning. "What do I need to prune? How do I prune? Why do I need to prune?" All of these are legitimate questions. I own textbooks that were written to answer these questions. I'll try to answer these questions in an abbreviated way. Hopefully you'll get all the information you'll need to prune in your own landscape.

The whys of pruning begin with sanitation pruning. Quite often a limb will die because of shading. Diseases or insects might enter the tree or shrub through the dead limb. By pruning out dead limbs, disease infection and insect infestation are drastically reduced.

Of course most people prune to reduce the size of a tree or shrub in the landscape. I don't like to prune for this reason. Today we have so many different varieties of plants available to us. If you select the correct variety, it will get to the size that you want for a particular spot in your landscape, then no pruning will be necessary.

Another reason to prune is to increase the density of the foliage of the tree or shrub. Christmas tree growers prune or shear their trees each summer in order to reduce twig length between whorls of branches. This gives their trees a bushier appearance.

Trim for new growth

Very old shrubs in your landscape often lose vigor and begin to decline. By drastically reducing the size of the crown in forsythia or lilac for example, the new growth is rapid and very vigorous.

If a wild branch on a tree or shrub is allowed to grow, its natural shape will be distorted. I often prune to encourage a tree or shrub to grow to its natural shape.

Low branches on trees in my yard tend to attack me when I mow the lawn. (Now Marilyn, my wife, will tell you I never mow the lawn.) Therefore I want to remove lower branches on trees so that I can walk under them.

Orchardists selectively prune trees in order to open up a tree's crown, and to reduce the number of flowers. By reducing the number of flowers, the number of fruit that are set is reduced. Since a tree only produces so much energy, it will put that energy in growing larger but fewer fruit.

Grape owners prune vines so that the grapes are not shaded. In addition reducing the amount of foliage allows more air to move through the arbor, and therefore reduce disease potential.

If you're a bow hunter, pruning is often needed to open up the shooting lanes. As you can see, pruning doesn't always have to have a horticultural reason to be done.

Tools make job easy

Now that you know most of the whys of pruning, I'd like to tell you about the tools that I use the most when pruning. For smaller branches, I use a Felco hand pruner. This brand is ergonomically sound, is of professional quality, and has replaceable parts. You can get them to fit a man or woman's hand. They also come in left-handed or right-handed models. I use these for branches of 1 inch in diameter or less.

For larger branches I use a Felco handsaw. This saw is designed to work only when you pull it backwards towards you, unlike most carpenters' saws. If you apply pressure when you move the saw away from you, the blade is easily broken. This saw works so well that you can, with just a few strokes, go through branches of 6 inches in diameter.

Of course, shears are needed if you want to give your shrub a crew cut. In addition, a chain saw is sometimes needed when larger branches are to be removed.

Now you know why to prune and what equipment to use. In my next column I'll explain when you need to prune.

* Please take time next week to think about all that we in America have to be thankful for. We are blessed to be living in this great land of ours. God bless America!

Paul Schnare of Cape Girardeau has been in the lawn and garden business for more than 20 years.