Prudent Pruning: Taking Advantage of the Dormant Season

 

Late autumn is often a sleepy time. We start layering in cozy sweaters and vests and begin the ritual of putting our garden to bed, getting it ready for a long winter nap. We may be sad to say goodbye to the glorious summer that we just had, but your trees and shrubs use the winter for rest and rejuvenation. You’ve prepped the rest of the garden, and now it’s time to give your trees and shrubs a good pruning to come back in the spring more beautiful than ever.

Why Prune During the Dormant Season?

1. Pruning during the growing season can make a plant vulnerable to disease. During the dormant season, this risk is reduced substantially. This is also the time to check your trees and shrubs for any signs of disease or pests and either deal with it or hire an arborist to check them.
2. It’s easier to see the overall shape of a tree or shrub when it’s not covered in foliage. This gives you the chance to shape it the way you want it to grow.
3. Pruning dead or unwanted branches from your trees and shrubs ensures that the resources of nutrients and sunlight are directed to the wanted growth.
4. Pruning during the dormant season prevents interference with the blooming cycle. Your flowering trees and shrubs will be more bountiful and more beautiful come spring.
5. Removing dead branches and limbs from trees before the bad winter weather and storms hit prevents potential damage from falling limbs, thus saving you aggravation and money.

Take Proper Precaution

Remember, pruning tall branches and using sharp equipment can be dangerous. If you don’t have the proper ladder support, or you’re working near power lines, it’s best to call a professional team for help. We recommend these techniques largely for low-lying tree branches and shrubs. However, only an expert can identify the best places to prune and which areas should be left alone.

Tools You’ll Need:

• Hand pruners, preferably bypass pruning shears: These are used on branches 1.9 cm in diameter or smaller. Ensure that they are comfortable and sharp. If you’re using them on any diseased foliage, disinfect them immediately after using to prevent spreading diseases to your other plants.

• Lopper cutters: With longer blades and handles, lopper cutters give you the power you need for branches up to 3.8 cm in diameter. As with the pruning shears, disinfect if you use them on diseased plants.

• Pruning saw: For use on branches up to 10 cm in diameter, the pruning saw (razor-toothed for best results) can help remove larger branches. Make sure they’re comfortable and try out a few pairs at your local garden centre or hardware store.

• • Remember to keep your tools sharp:

1. 1. 1. Clean your tools. Use a wire brush or steel wool. Wash them in soapy water and dry them thoroughly.
      2. Use a file, whetstone, or sharpening stone appropriate to the size of the tool. These can be purchased at garden centres and hardware stores.
      3. Hold the tool firmly and pass the sharpening tool over the edge of the blade. Only sharpen the cutting blade and move the sharpener in the direction of the bevel. For smaller tools, you may have to move in a more circular motion. It should only take two to five passes to sharpen the blade.
      4. Tighten up any loose bolts.
      5. Spray the tool with lubricant, also purchased at the usual spots. Spraying your tools with lubricant throughout the year is considered good practice.

Technique:

• Start by removing any dead, diseased, weak, or crowded foliage and branches.
• Remove the sucker branches from the base of trees, these branches do nothing for your tree or shrub except rob it of its nutrients.
• Remove branches that impede mowing, walking, or where you place your outdoor furniture or park your car.
• Remove some of the higher branches to reduce the height of the tree, but do not simply top the tree. This looks unsightly and leads to unwanted shaping and potential shock to the tree.
• Do not cut a branch off so that you leave a stump on the tree. You want to cut the branch to the trunk. Use the three-part pruning method outlined below. For larger trees, call an arborist with the expertise to handle this difficult job:
• • Start with a cut a few inches up from the trunk of the tree. This cut is done with an upward motion and is only to cut through about 1/3 of the branch. This prevents the tree from ripping off bark and exposing the tree to potential pests and disease.

• • The second cut is above this cut and is meant to take the branch right off. Be careful as branches fall that they have a safe place to land.
• • The final cut is right at the base of the trunk where the branch collar meets the branch bark ridge.

• Don’t remove more than 1/3 of a tree or shrub in one year.
• If pruning flowering trees, cut above the bud to guarantee a bevy of blossoms in the spring.

It’s also a great idea to keep a journal about which trees you pruned and where. Draw a diagram of your garden and note what was done of which plants. This will help you keep track of what worked and what didn’t. Perhaps one year you over-pruned and the result was unappealing. You’ll be able to consult your journal to see how much you’d pruned and try a different approach that fall. Draw or include pictures to help jog your memory.

Importantly, if you’ve inherited a garden with mature, but neglected, trees, be patient. These trees will require a long-term strategy and may require years of gentle pruning to finally regain their shape and health. If treated correctly, even the most neglected and damaged trees can rebound and give you years of beauty.

Make dormant pruning part of your late fall garden chores. It’s an effective way to keep your trees and shrubs healthy and beautiful. Pruning makes trees and shrubs not only healthy but can prevent damage and injuries. Some jobs can be done on your own, but for  professional pruning job in York Region (particularly on some of the bigger or more damaged trees), call Dave Lund Tree Service and Forestry Co. Ltd. at (905) 884-0511 or 1-800-363-0511 in Richmond Hill, or (905) 775-1020 in Bradford.