It’s pruning time!
Heather N. Kolich, ANR Agent, UGA Extension Forsyth County
Many people approach pruning with confusion, dread, or a chainsaw. I suggest approaching the task with a little knowledge, patience, and artistic vision. Appropriate pruning maintains plant health and promotes flower and fruit production. Timing, tools, and technique are important components for pruning that is both healthy and attractive.
Timing
Pruning stimulates plant growth, and that’s what we want to see in spring. For most plants, late-February to mid-March is the ideal time to prune. Between leaf drop in the fall and bud break in the spring, the branch structure of deciduous plants is clearly visible. This makes it easy to identify problem branches that need removal. The sap is also beginning to flow at this season, and it will naturally seal pruning cuts against diseases and insects.
Plants that benefit from pruning before spring growth begins are plants that bloom and fruit on new growth, such as:
- Abelia
- Beautyberry
- Camelia
- Certain hydrangeas – arborescens and paniculate
- Chaste tree (Vitex)
- Crape myrtle
- Floribunda and Grandiflora roses
- Fruit trees
- Japanese barberry
- Japanese spirea
- Sweetshrub
Some spring-blooming plants, however, should be pruned after they bloom because they set flower buds for next year in the fall. These plants include:
- Azaleas
- Blueberries
- Certain hydrangeas – bigleaf and oakleaf
- Dogwoods
- Flowering cherries
- Forsythia
- Japanese Pieris
- Winter Daphne
Tools
Pruning tools include hand pruners, loppers, and a variety of saws. Use sharp, clean tools. Pruning cuts made with sharp tools heal more quickly than cuts that result in crushed stems, ragged ends, or torn bark. If you’re dealing with disease issues, sanitize tools between each cut by dipping the blades in a solution of one part bleach and nine parts water. This prevents spreading disease among your plants.
Techniques

In addition to stimulating growth, pruning helps maintain plant health, size and form. To avoid plant stress, however, limit pruning to removal of no more than one-third of the plant.
Prune to open the canopy to allow sunlight to reach interior spaces. Thinning cuts remove entire branches to relieve crowding and allow air to circulate and dry dew and rain from leaves. Wet leaves invite fungal diseases.
Before making any cuts, examine the plant and decide how you would like it to look. If plants have been neglected, it may take several years to train and form them into the shape you want.
Begin by removing dead and diseased branches. Next, take out branches that grow toward the interior of the plant. If you see branches that cross and rub together, one of them needs to go. Rubbing damages the bark and opens the plant to pests and pathogens. Select the branch to keep based on strength, health and desirable growth habit.
For large branches that must be sawed off, use a three-step process. Make the first cut on the underside of the branch about 12 inches from the trunk of the tree, sawing one-fourth of the way through the branch. This undercut keeps the falling limb from tearing bark away from the tree. Make the second cut on the upper side of the branch 2-3 inches outside of the first cut. As you make this cut, the branch will swing downward toward the undercut. With the final cut, remove the stump at the branch collar, the thickened ring where the branch joins the trunk. Over time, the branch collar will grow over the pruning cut. Don’t paint the would with sealer; it isn’t necessary and will interfere with the natural healing process.
At this point, step back and give the plant another assessment. Starting at the plant’s base, lop off suckers arising from the root system. Moving upward, clip off low-growing branches and watersprouts, those shoots that grow straight up.
Next comes the hard part. Stop. Let the plant grow. Repeat next year.