Dwarffruit trees are a beau�ful addi�on to a thing you want is to spread that disease to landscape. They only grow to about 8-10 feet other plants. Just dip your blade into the tall, bloom in the spring, and produce fruit to alcohol and wipe off. Keeping a sharpened eat. bladeonallyourtoolsmeansyouwillalso needtohaveawhetstoneandafile. Mostfruittreesproduceanoverabundanceof fruit, so excess flowers must be pinched out. Hand-HeldShears Otherwise, you will get fruit and flowers every For snipping and cu�ng smaller stems. other year. The tree has put far too much Therearetwotypesofhand-heldshears;anvil energyintofrui�ngandneedstorest. andbypass.Anvilwillalmostalwayscostless, butthat’s because they don’t do as good a job For Fun! of cu�ng. Some�mestheveryactofengaginginatask like pruning, is a great way to clear your mind Think of an axe and a stump that you split andputsomeorderinyoursurroundings.The kindling on. The axe is sharp and the stump is task does not have to be overwhelming if you flat. If your axe swing is a li�le off the piece of remindyourselfthatagorgeouslandscape kindling doesn’t split. Anvil shears have a happensinbabysteps.Whilestar�ngthetask sharpbladethatthatclosesontoananvil, mayseemdaun�ng,knowthattheresultwill cu�ngandsmashingthebranch.Ifthetop beworthitforthesa�sfac�onandconfidence andbo�omoftheanvilshearsdon’tlineup it will bring you as you walk through your perfectly the cut will be incomplete, leaving a perfectly landscaped garden. thread of plant �ssue. You’ll be tempted to Soroll up your sleeves, take a moment to pull that plant thread off, DON’T! It’s s�ll visualize your desired outcome as we discuss a�achedtotheplantandwillpulltheouter thetools you will need for the job at hand. layer of bark right down the limb, just like a piece of ribbon. That will create a wound all thewaydownthelimb. TheProperEquipmentforPruning Awordofadviceontools:Getthebestones Bypassshearsarelikescissors. Two sharp youcanaffordandtakegoodcareofthem. blades passing each other. Because you’ve Thatmeansusingthemcorrectly(for example,youshouldnotbetryingtocuta2- kept your tools sharp you get a nice clean cut. inch diameter limb with handheld pruning They’re good for cu�ng branches up to ½ shears). Keeping them sharp and clean will inch thick. They’re also good for trimming notonlyresultinaneasiertaskofpruningbut damagedrootsfromabarerootshrubortree will ensure you are not endangering your you’ve received in the mail. Only prune what’s plants by making them more suscep�ble to absolutely necessary on young plants. They disease. needalltheir leaves and roots to get a strong start. Anotherpruningsupplyyoushouldalways haveisIsopropyl Alcohol to sani�ze your tools a�ercu�ngoutadiseasedlimb.Thelast 5