Trimming your Shrubs and Bushes
Time to trim the hedges, bushes and shrubs
A few minutes spent pruning is one of the best things you can do for the plants in your yard, however it’s one of the most neglected tasks of maintaining your yard as well. Why? Because for most of us pruning takes a little fines and time. “But pruning isn’t difficult and you get in return, thicker foliage, more flowers, and healthier plants. Most homeowners prune when it’s convenient for them, yet that might not be the best time for that plant. Consulting the plant lists will take the mystery out of this part of pruning as well. Keep reading to learn How to Trim Your Shrubs and Bushes.
Reasons for Pruning
- Rrain the plant
- Maintain plant health
- Improve the quality of flowers, fruit, foliage or stems
- Restrict growth
Older and neglected shrubs
Older shrubs that have become a tangle of unproductive stems may require a more extensive program of thinning cuts, called renewal or renovation pruning, that takes at least three years. Neglected shrubs may call for a more drastic approach: hard pruning. Most deciduous shrubs that respond well to renewal pruning can also take hard pruning, as will a handful of broadleaf evergreens, such as privet. Using loppers and a pruning saw, cut back all stems to within an inch of the ground during the plant’s winter dormancy. Come spring, the plants will quickly produce new shoots from the base. Of course, this technique will leave you with little to look at while maintaining your flower and garden beds.
Pruning Equipment
To know and practice the rules of pruning is most important, as well as knowing the importance in using the correct tools. Equipment can be limited to a few items if the proper ones are selected. Select tools that will do the job, store equipment in a dry will help keep a sharp edge longer, and are relatively easy to sharpen and handle. When pruning diseased plants, disinfect all shears and saw blades after each cut to prevent spreading disease to healthy plants. An example of this is pruning:
- Fire blight from pears
- Pyracantha or cotoneaster. Us
Use alcohol or bleach to disinfect equipment between each cut when pruning diseased plants. Mix at the rate of one part bleach to nine parts water. At the end of the day, oil the pruning equipment well to avoid rusting.
When learning how to trim your shrubs and bushes you should know there are many kinds of hand pruning shears. Most of them are designed for cutting stems up to 1/2 inch in diameter. Attempting to cut larger branches risks making a poor cut and/or ruining the shears. Two common hand shears are the scissor action shears and the anvil cut. In scissor action shears, a thin, sharp blade slides closely past a thicker but also sharp blade. These usually cost more but make cleaner, closer cuts. In anvil cut shears, a sharpened blade cuts against a broad, flat blade. Pole pruners usually have a cutter with one hooked blade above and a cutting blade beneath, similar to a large pair of lopping shears. The cutter is on a pole and is operated by pulling a rope downward.
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