Pruning Guide: Shrubs & Select Fruit Tree Pruning – Southern Exposure

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  • Pruning Guide: Shrubs & Select Fruit Tree Pruning
 

Pruning Guide: Shrubs & Select Fruit Tree Pruning

Pruning Guide: Shrubs & Select Fruit Tree Pruning

by Rick Raiford / Wednesday, 17 September 2014 / Published in How To, Landscape Tips, Monthly Landscape & Gardening Tips, Pruning Guides
Fruit Tree pruning- Apple Tree

Here’s how to do shrubs and fruit tree pruning

APPLE:  Winter or early spring.  Train tree for a low head.  Prune moderately.  Keep tree open with main branches well spaced around tree.  Avoid sharp V-shaped crotches.

BLACKBERRY:  After bearing and summer: remove at ground canes that bore last crop.  In summer, cut back new shoots to 3.5 feet.

RASPBERRY:  After bearing and in fall: remove at the ground canes which bore the last crop.  Remove weak new canes and thin to no closer than six inches apart.  In fall, head back canes 4-5 feet.

CHERRY:  Winter or early spring is the best season for this fruit tree pruning.  Prune moderately, cut back slightly the most vigorous shoots.

CURRANT:  Early spring is the best time for this fruit tree pruning: remove old unfruitful growth.  Encourage new shoots.

GOOSEBERRY:  Early spring.  Same as Currant.  Cut back new shoots at 12 inches high and side shoots to 2 buds.

GRAPE:  Later winter or early spring, before sap starts: requires heavy pruning of old wood to encourage new bearing wood.  Remove all old branches back to main vine.  Cut back the previous year’s new growth to 4 buds.

PEACH:  Early spring is the right time for this fruit tree pruning: prune vigorously- remove one-half of the previous year’s growth, keep tree headed low, and well thinned-out.

PLUM:  Early spring:  remove dead and dieseased branches: keep tree shped up by cutting back rank growth.  Prune moderately.

QUINCE: Early spring: cut back young trees to form low, open head.  Little pruning of older trees is required except to remove dead and weak growth.

BARBERRY:  Early spring: little pruning required except to remove a few old branches occassionally to encourage new growth.  Head back as necessary to keep plant in shape.

BUTTERFLY BUSH: Early spring: cut out all dead wood.  Remove some old branches and head-in as necessary to keep plant properly shaped.

CLEMATIS: The fruit tree pruning depends on flowering time: spring blooming types should be cut back after bloom if shaping is desired.  Early-summer bloomers should be cut back 6-8″ to a pair of strong buds in March, if shaping is desired.  Summer and fall blossoming types should be cut back to 12″ from ground every March.

CRABAPPLE:  Early spring: prune moderately.  Cut out dead and broken branches and suckers.

DEUTZIAS: After flowering: remove a few older branches and all dead wood.  Do not let growth get too dense.

DOGWOOD, FLOWERING: After flowering: remove dead wood only.

DOGWOOD, OTHER:  Spring: varities grown for colored twigs should have the old growth removed to encourage bright-colored new shoots.

ELDERBERRY:  This fruit tree pruning is done after fruiting: prune severely.  Remove one-half of season’s growth.

FORSYTHIA:  After flowering: remove a few older brancehs at the ground each year and head back new growth as necessary.

HONEYSUCKLE, BUSH:  After fruiting: cut out some old branches.  Keep bush open.

HYDRANGEA:  This fruit tree pruning must be done early spring: ‘Hills of Snow’ variety-cut back to ground.  Others: remove dead and weak growth, cut old flowering stems back to two buds.

LAUREL, MOUNTAIN:  After flowering: prune very little.  Remove a few old branches at the ground from weak, leggy plants to induce growth from the roots.

LILAC:  After flowering: remove diseased and scaly growth, cut off old flower heads, and cut out surplus sucker growth.

MOCK-ORANGE:  After flowering: cut out dead wood and a few old branches to thin out plant.

RHODODENDRON:  After flowering:  treat same a Mountain Laurel

ROSES, CLIMBING:  After flowering: cut out about one-half of old growth at the ground and retain the vigorous new shoots from the root for the next year’s flowers.  Head back as needed.

ROSES: TEA, HYBRID, PERPETUAL:  Spring, after frosts: cut away all dead and weak growth and shroten all remaining branches or canes to seven or eight buds.

ROSE OF SHARON: Do this fruit tree pruning when the buds start: cut off all winter killed growth back to live wood.

SNOWBERRY:  Early spring: thin out some old brancehs and cut back last season’s growth of that part remaining to three buds.

TRUMPET VINE:  Early spring: prune side branches severely to the main stem.

WEIGELA:  After flowering: prune lightly, remove all dead, weak growth and head in as needed.  Cut out a few old branches at the ground to induce new growth.

WISTERIA:  Spring: cut back the new growth to the spurs at the axils of the leaves.  This can be repeated in midsummer.

VIBERNUM: Early spring: prune lightly, remove all dead, week, and a few of the old branches.

VIRGINIA CREEPER:  Spring: clip young plants freely.  Older plants require little pruning except to remove dead growth and provide some thinning.

 

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