The silhouette of an American elm, Ulmus americana is beautiful and needs no pruning. Photo  Amanda Jarrett

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 Pruning Basics - Remove ASAP - What to Do - 3 Step Method - Timing -
What to Remove - Where to Prune - Please don't... - Safety

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Pruning Basics

Pruning is often used to keep the size of trees and shrubs in check, but that’s not its purpose. Correct pruning practices are based on maintaining plant health. When a plant is too big for its britches, it should be replaced with one that fits the space.  In other words as the old adage goes ‘right plant, right place’.
 
Another misconception is that all woody plants (trees and shrubs) need a good hacking back every year in order for them to flower. Nothing could be further from the truth. Judicious pruning is required for flowering plants. Timing is everything or you might just cut off all the potential flowers.
 
Woody plants do need pruning to maintain plant health and checking them yearly is a good idea. Keeping diseased, dead and broken branches, spindly as well as non-productive old branches on shrubs and trees impairs plant health, therefore they must be removed.
 
The following are some pruning guidelines to help you figure things out and to make your plants happy.   

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Remove as soon as possible:

• all dead, dying and diseased plant parts
• broken branches
• stems that cross each other especially when they touch
• suckers: these are erect shoots that originate from the base of a tree, their roots or below the bud union on grafted plants such as hybrid tea roses
• watersprouts: erect shoots that grow upright along the branches

Watersprouts grow vertically along branches.

Suckers form from poorly cut branches.

Remove broken branches asap!

Remove dead branches any time of year.

Remove one or both branches that rub or cross.

Remove any suckers that form at the base of a tree.

Remove suckers that grow from the rootstock of grafted varieties.

Remove the green-leaved suckers on this witch-hazel.

A hacked Japanese maple. Know the shape of your plant before pruning.

What a Japanese maple tree is supposed to look like.

Cut stems just above a node (bud) on a 45 degree angle to allow water to drain off.

What to do

• What’s your objective? Before you start, decide what you want to achieve: remove dead and old wood, cut off watersprouts, encourage flowers, remove errant growth etc.
• Know the natural shape of the plant before pruning. Weeping trees must weep, spreading plants must spread!

To remove a branch, cut just above its branch ridge.

Pruning Tips

• Timing: The best time to prune most plants is right after flowering.
• Large branches: Remove heavy and long branches with the 3 step method (jump cut) - see below.
• Long branches: Start by cutting them in pieces starting off at the end of the branch and working you way towards its base.  
• Where to cut a stem: Cut back stems to an outward facing shoot or bud that faces away from the inside of the plant.
• Where to remove a branch: Cut branches just outside the branch ridge (see below). 
• Angle of cut: To allow water to drain off make cuts at a 45 degree angle slanting downward away from the bud, ¼ inch above an outward facing bud (node).
• Cleanliness: Disinfect pruning tools after each plant.
• Reduce infections/infestations: Disinfect pruning tools after each cut if the plant has diseases or insects.
• Aftercare: Water and feed plants after pruning especially during the growing season and during dry periods.

Pruning - Timing

• Winter pruning: Pruning when plants are dormant encourages growth (including suckers and watersprouts).
• Summer pruning: Pruning when plants are actively growing, slows growth and reduces suckers and watersprouts.
• Spring pruning: Avoid pruning in spring when foliage has just emerged as this stresses plants.
• Spring flowering plants: Prune just after they finish flowering. Avoid pruning in summer, fall and winter.
• Summer flowering plants: Prune summer and fall flowering plants after flowering through to early spring. Avoid pruning from September through fall.
• Fruit trees: Prune twice: winter and summer.
• Conifers 1: If necessary prune hemlock, yews, Douglas fir, firs, spruce in winter or late summer.
• Conifers 2: If necessary prune cedars, junipers, arborvitae, pines, false cypress (Chamaecyparis sp.) in late spring and early summer. 
• Cedar/arborvitae (Thuja sp.,) hedges: Trim hedges no later than early September. 

This poor tree has been topped, hence the silly sucker hairdo.

Trim cedar hedges in September at the latest.

Prune forsythia & other spring flowering plants right after they flower.

Remove this stub before it dies back, compromising the tree's health.

The branches on the right of this dwarf Alberta spruce are reverting back and must be removed.

What to Remove

• Weak and spindly stems.
• Crossing stems.
• Stems that touch and ones that rub each other.
• Low branches that are in the way of pedestrians, vehicles etc.
• Branches that are too long that distract from the shape of the plant.
• Old, mature branches that no longer that bear few or no flowers and/or fruit.
• Stems that grow towards the center of the plant.
• Stubs: they are remnants of branches that weren’t cut at the branch collar.
• Branches grow parallel to each other and ones that are too close.
• Branches attached to the trunk at a narrow angle – 45 degrees or less.
• Planting: remove flowers and fruit when planting and transplanting to reduce stress.
• Dead flowers.
• Suckers that grow from the roots from grafted and non-grafted plants.
• Sports: Stems on cultivars, that have reverted back to their non-cultivated species ex: the Dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica') often converts back to its original species, the white spruce (Picea glauca). 

Where to Prune

• Trees: Avoid stubs. Cut back branches to a side branch, or remove it fully at its base just above the branch collar. Don’t sever a branch in the middle.
• Shrubs: Cut branches back just above a branch, outward facing bud or remove the branch.
• Shorten branches: On both trees and shrubs shorten branches by cutting them back to a side branch.
• Buds/Nodes: Wherever the bud is pointing is where it will grow. Cut just above a node will dictate the direction the stem will grow.
• Stem direction: Cut stems just above a bud (node) that faces away from the plant’s centre.
• Branch collars: Remove tree branches where they join the trunk or another branch. Cut branches off just above the branch collar.
• Tree leaders: Don’t cut off the leader (the main stem) on trees with a single trunk.
• Promote more fruit: On apples, pears, plums and nectarines, cut side shoots back to 2 to 4 nodes (buds) in summer and winter.
• Pines: Pinch their ‘candles’ in half in June to reduce their length.        ​

Pinch pine candles in half in June.

An apple's side branch that has converted to a fruiting spur.

Cut side branches from apple trees back to two buds in summer & winter to promote spurs.

Fruiting spurs on apples will develop in 2 years.

To shorten a branch, cut back to a lateral (side) branch.

Don't cut more than 1/4 growth off. This is just so very wrong.

Things Not to Do

Please don't:

• prune plants if they don’t need it
• prune spruce, pine and other conifers: just remove errant branches
• remove or cut back all the branches from a tree
• cut off a tree’s leader (the main trunk)
• cut back all a plant’s stems when transplanting
• prune spring flowering plants before flowering
• prune spring flowering plants in summer, fall and winter
• prune in October, November and December
• prune just before a plant’s flowering period if you want flowers or fruit
• remove more than ¼ of growth at one time
• remove well-formed healthy stems unless necessary
• prune when it is raining and when plants are wet
• leave stubs; cut back stems to their origin or just above a side branch or bud
• top trees; it is a tree deformer and killer!
• ​apply pruning paint or anything else to cut stems

Three step method to remove large limbs

From the top of the branch, cut a 8 inches from the trunk.

The branch should snap off leaving a stub with a nub.

Remove the remaining stub.

A clean cut just above the branch ridge will allow the wound to heal.

Safety First

• Wear gloves to save your hands and to secure your grip.
• Don't prune wet plants and don't prune anything when its raining. 
• Use sharp clean pruning tools.
• Select the correct pruning tool appropriate for the job.
• Place branches away from your work area to avoid tripping.
• Place the debris on tarpaulins to drag to the next plant and for easy disposal.
• Don’t climb trees and shrubs, tempting as it may be. Use a ladder, but have someone hold it and to help you – or hire a professional.
• Don’t remove large limbs without using the 3 step method and don’t do it by yourself.
• Hire a professional for big jobs, for tall trees and if you are overwhelmed. Make sure they are ISA certified and up to date on their workmen's compensation payments. Do your research and check with their previous clients for references. 

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