Introduction
Pruning is the act of clearing excess vegetation from a plant to remove diseased tissue, reinvigorate growth, increase fruit or nut production, or optimize the space the plant occupies. Some people strongly believe that plants should grow naturally because nature takes care of any problems that could occur along the way. Also, some organic purists think crop-producing trees should grow freely without ever seeing the sharp blade of a pruning tool. On the surface, this philosophy makes sense: Trees and plants growing wildly in our forests seem perfectly healthy to a casual observer whizzing by in a car at 60 mph. But, take a closer look at forest growth. You will first notice on closer observation the major battle going on in the forest for space and light. Fast-growing, invasive trees stemming from seed-infested bird droppings create life-sapping shade as they steal nutrients and moisture from the root systems of century-old oaks. Huge limbs damaged from insects, wind, and ice storms dangle from trees, threatening plants below. Dead limbs that harbor termites and other insects that can move into living trees, eventually killing them, litter the forest floor. Dead branches that hang low to the ground and shade out broad-leafed herbs called forbs and grasses, which provide valuable wildlife food, restrict the movement of large animals. To make matters worse, imported garden plants that wildlife cannot eat have escaped cultivation and have sprouted up everywhere.
The typical North American forest became such an unnatural, unproductive place because fire — a natural cleansing agent that kills invasive plants, cleans the forest floor, and naturally prunes the lower limbs of trees — is no longer part of the forest life cycle because when fire naturally appears, it is quickly suppressed. Fire possibly provided the pruning agent for forests. Because fire is no longer, or rarely, a part of the forest experience in North America, particularly in areas where human populations live close by, man must remove or prune overgrowth, undergrowth, and invasive species. In many cases, this is done through controlled burns, a method of forest management often used in federally and state-owned land in which forest management agencies use naturally occurring fires from lightning or dry vegetation that ignites and then control the burn through weather conditions and fire-management techniques. This ensures that the fire does not threaten wildlife, nearby human populations, or the entire forest vegetation itself. Controlled burns can also be prescribed fires in which management agencies start the fires themselves as a way to improve the forest and grassland health. Forests not government-owned or under some kind of management are often not healthy forest systems.
Now, take this argument a step further, and look at a typical ornamental landscape. You obviously cannot set fire to it to clean it up so man must remove diseased limbs and overgrowth that prevent air circulation and access to extend the lives of trees and bushes and create a sense of balance. People must manage native plants, as well as fast-growing, non-native plants, or they will try to take over all available space in the garden. For example, while there are native fruit trees, such as the wild plum or apple, all fruit trees that produce grocery-store-quality produce are cultivars. Cultivars are fruit trees specifically selected and cultivated for certain characteristics, such as the desired crop yield or resistance to diseases, which cannot be left alone in the garden year after year. Every fruit tree grower would love to find a variety of peach, apple, or plum tree that would live more than 10 years and produce endless beautiful fruit every year without the need for pruning or spraying with insecticides, but those types of improved fruit trees simply do not exist.
You can see how important pruning is to landscape and plant management. Without it, the beautiful garden you visualize when you close your eyes could not exist, and the open forest full of wildlife and native plants would be overgrown and full of damaged and diseased wood. The bushels of huge, sweet fruit would not be available in grocery stores, and the beautiful and fragrant flowers from the florist would be small and less vibrant. If these reasons do not convince you of the importance of pruning, just remember how overgrown and unsightly every lawn would be without a pruning program — after all, cutting the grass is the most common form of pruning done in the United States.
Overview of This Book
The Complete Guide to Pruning Trees and Bushes: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply aims to help the average person understand when the pruning of trees and bushes, also known as shrubs, is needed, as well as the correct way to prune and how to use the correct tools. This book discusses different types of pruning, including several rare and artistic methods, in an easy-to-understand format.
The book begins by discussing the difference between a bush and a tree and by detailing the different structures of each. This anatomy is clearly explained so the reader can understand how pruning affects the health of the plant and how a plant heals after pruning. Because establishing a need for pruning is the first step in the pruning process, this book also discusses the reasons for pruning. It also includes a list of the tools needed to complete a specific job, along with an overview of the correct way to use different pruning tools.
Detailed information is given about the different ways of pruning a variety of trees and bushes, from cutting large limbs from the tallest trees to correcting storm damage to pinching the stem ends of perennials shrubs to create a bushier growth habit. Deciduous, or leaf-dropping, trees and shrubs and evergreen trees, which do not lose their leaves in winter, along with fruit and nut trees, are all provided in a special section because you prune and maintain them differently. Another section is devoted to roses because pruning is an integral part of caring for roses. Descriptions of certain trees or shrubs include that tree or shrub’s ability to survive in certain USDA horticultural zones that are based on average annual minimum temperatures for each zone.
This book is designed as a field manual on pruning for both amateurs and professionals. It includes an easy-to-understand index and chapter headings to help you quickly locate the type of plant you are pruning, along with a detailed description of each pruning procedure. For example, under the fruit tree section in the index, the most common fruit trees grown in the United States and the correct pruning method for each are clearly marked and explained in detail.
After reading this book, the reader should be able to confidently and effectively prune a tree or shrub throughout the life of that individual tree or shrub. While ease of pruning will come with experience, this book will serve as the go-to book for amateur and professional gardeners alike.