Winter Pruning Benefits

By Roberto of "Living Canvas Organic Gardening & Lawn Care"

There are three main objectives when deciding to prune a tree or shrub: strength, shape, and airflow. Winter offers easy access and a good view of the tree’s “skeleton” – its structure and underlying composition. Their dormant phase is ideal for pruning and shaping.

Pruning for strength means to prune so that the limbs and branches are strong and stable. Removing weak limbs and small angles will improve the general health of trees and shrubs. This will eliminate the chances of it being damaged by winter elements.

Pruning for shape will produce an aesthetically pleasing tree or shrub that is balanced and sized correctly for the space it occupies. Trees and shrubs have an overall structure, and some branches will grow into their structure while others will grow too far out and spoil the overall shape. Removing out of alignment branches will improve its overall structure.

Trees and shrubs are part of your landscape as a whole and may also need to be pruned to accommodate the need of other items in your yard.

Internal branches fill the structure of a tree or shrub and both inhibit airflow and reduce light to the interior of the tree. This creates a perfect environment for disease-causing organisms to take hold.

Pruning trees and shrubs promotes a good airflow. Thinning them out is also important because branches that are growing into their internal structure and they will eventually butt against one another. Their junction can gather moisture and cause decay. There is also a tendency for the limbs to grow together, which is not healthy for trees.

Water sprouts or suckers are found in the interior of the tree as well as at the base of the trunk. They grow rapidly and use more of the tree’s energy than they return, so they are better pruned away.

All these problems will be apparent in late winter and can be corrected without tangling with excess growth in spring or summer. Late winter pruning should be completed before the new growth cycle begins.

Living Canvas Organic Gardening & Lawn Care

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