Stay away from regular carpenter’s saws for foliage for photosynthesis to keep the roots pruning as they are more cumbersome and healthy. notaseasytocontrolinscenariosthatdonot AskYourself WHYYouArePruning involve a straight flat surface on which to cut. If your focus is the health of the plant, start by Sawsthataremadeforpruningareideal,and determining whatthenaturalformofthat manycomewithbladesthatfoldbackinto shruborsmalltreeisandthenpruneout thehandleforsafetywhenstoring. branchesthataredeadbacktoalivebranch. If the shrub is mul�-stemmed, then simply cut Theheavierbladedstraightpullsawlookslike thedeadstems.Youwillalsowanttoprune acarpenter’s saw and almost always nicks an outcrossing limbs, or any that may be adjoining limb. Try not to use a pull saw restric�ng sunlight and air circula�on. unless it’s all you have. If the reason for pruning is to shape or ChainSaws&PolePruners decreasethesizeoftheplant,focusonareas Theselargerpiecesofequipmentrequire that are giving your plant its height and width, cau�onandshouldonlybeusedby slowly working your way in un�l you are experienced pruners or professionals. Owning content with the result. achainsawcancomeinhandywhenbreaking downfallentreesandlargelimbs;butifyou Effect of Removing Branches or Stems needtotacklealargebranchthatiss�ll Pruning affects the basic biology of a shrub. a�achedtoatree,assessthesitua�onwell Plant branches terminate in a bud which puts andcall in a professional if you are not outachemicalcalledauxintomaintainits comfortable doing it yourself. dominance.Ifthedominantbudremains,it keepsotherbudsonthebranchdormantand Pole pruners are used to cut high branches thebranchgrowslonger.Whenyouremove fromthegroundandcanbedangerousifused theterminalbudthesourceofauxinis incorrectly – pu�ng you at risk of being removed,andthesidebudscometolife injured by falling branches. They also force whichresults in the plant becoming bushier. youtocraneyourneckbackandarenotideal in most situa�ons. For larger pruning and tree If you want to retain that single header, like in trimmingjobs,contactaprofessionalandsave aChristmastree,thenadifferentmethodof g yourself the risk. n i pruning is used to fill out the tree, but the m r a F headerwiththatdominantbudisnotcut. e l b a HowtoPruneforBestPlantResponse Manyfruittreesalsohaveasingleheader. n i a t s Togettheresponseyouwantfromtheplant u S g n while maintaining the plant’s health, be sure i t HeadingCuts r o p to consider the 3 principles of pruning p If you have a single stemmed tall plant and u S previously men�oned:well-reasoned, well- wantittohavemorebranches,thenyouneed �med,well-made.Anotherhelpful�pisto to makeaheadingcutwhichremovesno notcutbackmorethanonethirdofthe morethanathirdofthebranch. Thisworks plant’s growth – giving your tree enough with shrubs, perennial flowers, and trees that are being kept at a dwarf height. Heading cuts 8 www.rogitex.com