Pruning is one of the most important plant maintenance tasks that should be done on a regular basis. Pruning is especially important for container gardening. It helps you to control the growth of your plants and it helps to promote new growth and more flowers. Maintenance-free plants are rarely a thing. Sure, some plans are low-maintenance but they do still require some maintenance.
You only really need to prune occasionally but there are still right and wrong ways of doing it. Here are some of the biggest pruning mistakes you should avoid.
Not Pruning
Major mistake! Sure plants can grow in the wild without ever needing pruning but the plants you have at home or in your yard will need pruning every now and then otherwise they may end up encroaching on you and end up looking undesirable. Prune your plants regularly to maintain their shape.
Too Much Shearing
Shearing should be done to maintain the shape of a plant. This is especially important for hedges. Shearing helps to maintain a groomed appearance. Occasional thinning is the best to avoid serious damage to a plant. Use handheld pruners for easier control. You can trim up to 10% of the branches to allow sunlight to penetrate the plant.
Cutting Flowers
Wondering why your plants don’t bloom? You haven’t pruned the buds off, right? That is a big pruning mistake. Know what season your plants bloom and don’t prune it during the blooming season or they may end up having only a few flowers or they may not bloom at all.
Not Cleaning Your Tools
Pruning with a dull blade, stiff tools, or even rusty equipment can only give you problems. It can cause ugly, ragged, unbalanced cuts that can also cause injury to you. Make sure to maintain your tools. Keep your tools sharp and clean. Oil them to maintain good working conditions.
Poor Technique
For others, they look at pruning as simply cutting off branches and leaves of trees and shrubs. There is a proper technique for pruning so you can get the desired effect. Improper cutting might produce an unbalanced look and oversized scars. Try your best to avoid heavy cutbacks. But when necessary these cuts should be made where the cut can be carefully hidden. Cutting an angle sloping away from the bud is recommended.
Have you made any pruning mistakes in the past? Tell us about it in the comments.