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.
