Pruning Your Garden: Learn With Us

Want to know the basics of pruning? In our post, learn about the basic steps for learning how to prune your plants correctly.
Pruning Your Garden: Learn With Us

Last update: 07 September, 2019

Pruning your garden is essential for healthy plants. You have to make sure you prune your plants at a certain time every year to keep them strong and growing.

While every species require a different kind of pruning, we want to teach you how to get started.

With the basics, you can prune trees, bushes, herbs and fruit trees. Read about how to prune your plants and when to do it below. By pruning them correctly, you can watch them grow healthy and keep your garden beautiful all year long.

How to prune your garden

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If you want to keep your plants strong by pruning them correctly, first make sure you know the exact species of plants you have in your garden. Consider these points for pruning:

  • Shaping isn’t obligatory
  • Every species won’t require the same kind of pruning
  • You should prune your plants at a certain time every year
  • Make sure to cut the branches and leaves with the appropriate gardening tools

Once you understand these basic principles, you can move on to learn the different kinds of pruning, how, and the best time to prune.

Types of pruning

While you don’t necessarily have to prune your plant in order for it to grow, there are other purposes for pruning. You can prune to shape a plant or to control its growth.

Pruning to shape

Plants grow as they wish. But if you want to control their growth and maintain a certain size or shape, shaping is something you should consider. By shaping, you can prevent your trees and bushes from getting out of control and keep them in a certain shape or size.

Pruning to maintain

Pruning to maintain a plant is another option that prevents them from drying out or dying. You need to prune at a certain time every year to eliminate dead leaves and branches.

When to prune

Most plants should be pruned at the end of winter. By pruning at this time, you’re preparing them for spring. As a result, they grow and flower in a healthy and correct manner. While there are certain plants that need to be pruned in a different season, trees and bushes should generally be pruned at the end of winter.

Pruning your plants in winter will make sure they’re ready to flower and grow in the spring.

How to prune your plants

You’ll need the right tools to get started. There is a huge variety of pruning shears on the market so make sure you choose the best ones that suit the plants you have in your garden.

Finding the best pruning shears for pruning your garden

Among the variety, you can find single-handed pruning shears. These work for cutting thinner branches from small bushes. You can also find two-handed pruning shears, which have bigger, sharper blades and a strong wooden handle.

A set of two-handed shears will allow you to prune denser trees and bushes with thicker branches. Look for the shears that best suit your garden and get started.

Flowering plants

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You need to prune flowering plants, such as hydrangeas, rose bushes or fruit trees in order to help them flower more. Choose an appropriate set of shears and cut the stems on a diagonal. Also, remember to cut off at least 30% of the entire length of the stem.

Doing otherwise and cutting off just a small portion of the stems won’t do your plants any good. Make a clean, precise and diagonal cut. By cutting properly, you’ll keep your plants healthy and prepared to grow and flower more.

Removing dead branches and leaves

You also have to remove hindrances from your plants when pruning. In other words, remove all of the dead branches and leaves to keep your plant green and well-nourished. It’s part of proper plant care and prevents them from drying out and dying.

As you’ve read with us today, pruning isn’t as simple as it looks. If you prune incorrectly or at the wrong time, your plant will likely die. So make sure you know which species you have and what kind of prune and care they require.

If you follow our steps and do your research, you can enjoy a beautiful garden all year round.