How to prune a plant? 5 beginner steps to gardening you MUST know

NIO Desk, July 26

How to prune a tree or plant? First steps to gardening you MUST know

Garden

Are you beginning gardening and love for plants? If yes, you are one step closer to becoming a plant parent. These plants give our garden a beautiful and lively look. It is because of these plants that we could feel peace while having a cup of morning tea in our own garden. These are your first steps to gardening and planting trees.

Therefore you should know the basic step of gardening, i.e. pruning a plant.

Pruning encourages strong growth and a tidy, appealing appearance in trees. A tree may be pruned to remove broken branches, promote new growth, or give the tree a unique shape. It’s critical to follow the instructions precisely to avoid harming the tree. Read on to discover the fundamentals.

You need to know why exactly you want to prune?

Are you trying to make a tree taller or more shady? Has the tree recently undergone pruning? You should think about your objectives and set your goals before you start the process of pruning.

The method and why you want to do pruning will also affect the timing of your pruning. If you only need to do remove dead branches, you can do it whenever, but if you want to achieve more, you should schedule your pruning according to the seasons.

For instance, pruning in the cold season will trigger a springtime growth spurt. If you want to shape your tree or stop undesirable branches from growing, summer pruning is a good strategy because it will cause slower growth of the branch.

What you should remove?

First, cut off any branches that have visible damage. Broken branches should be pruned whether they were harmed by a storm or another incident so that the moisture they are still stealing from the tree are distributed to healthy branches.

Thin the areas of the plant that has thick parts

Look for areas covered in a dense canopy of branches. Crossing branches should be cut off, and the plant should then be opened up to allow air to circulate and light to reach all areas. Air must flow freely well around the branches of trees for them to grow healthily. Branch clusters encourage the development of fungus and increase insect attack on plants. Remove branches that are encroaching on the tree’s centre and growing inward. These are unhealthy and create crowding.

Cut the obstructions that don’t let other parts grow

Remove branches that are a hindrance. Whether they’re high branches that could threaten your telephone wires, get struck and spread your rooftop, or overhang your gate fences, or low branches that are obstructing by hanging over your shed. Pruning the branches that are needed in some way is acceptable.

Pruning a few branches that seem to go out of way and looks odd on the plant will greatly improve the shape and appearance of your tree. A few cuts will make a significant difference.

Do not prune too much

Pruning should be minimal. Each cut you make weakens the tree’s defence mechanism and exposes it to the risk of fungus attack.

Never remove more than 20-23% of a tree’s branches; only prune as much as is absolutely necessary.

It is noteworthy that the tree’s survival cannot be guaranteed by the trunk alone. The plant experiences extreme stress when all the branches are cut off.

Avoid heavy pruning more than once a season. You shouldn’t prune a tree more than once because the tree needs time to heal, unless another storm breaks more branches.