Pruning Shrubs and Trees
Most trees and shrubs can be pruned anytime of the year. This can be done annually. Fall/Winter is a good time as the trees and shrubs go dormant and also easier to prune when there is no leaves and you can see the shape of the plant.

Reasons for Pruning:
» To train the plant
» To maintain plant health or shrubs» To improve the quality of flowers, fruit, foliage or stems for new season
» To restrict growth/or control a shape you might like

Pruning should also be done correctly. There are different techniques used for different plants/trees/shrubs. Make sure your pruning shears are sharp and make all cuts clean and smooth. First remove broken and dead branches. When cutting back small branches choose one that forms an angle of no more than 45 degrees. Make slanting cuts removing limbs that grow upward. Thick heavy branches of more than 1 ½ inches in diameter, use a three-part cut. The first is to saw an undercut from the bottom. A second cut from the top about 3 inches from the undercut and let the branch fall away. The last cut, the resulting stub can be cut back to the collar of the branch.
It makes a perfect cut every time, smooth, clean, neat and flat


The right Place to trim trees

The biggest pruning mistake we see are branches cut in the wrong place.  Most amateurs tend to leave too much of a "stub" when they remove a branch.  The problem is, once this stub dies off, it creates a perfect entry point for insects and disease pathogens.
  
Trees don't regenerate tissue the same way human beings do.  While our skin acts to replace itself, trees grow new tissue around their wounds in a process known as "compartmentalization".   If a tree can compartmentalize an old pruning wound, it has a much better chance of survival.  Also, efforts should be made not to create wounds on tree trunks with lawn mowers and other machinery.  Destructive fungi are opportunists!
  
Trees have a natural defense system built into the swollen area known as the "collar" where the branch meets the trunk.  It is important to make a "flush cut" close to the trunk, without removing the collar.  The proper cut is made just beyond the collar, not leaving a stub, but leaving the swollen area intact.


THIS IS THE CORRECT WAY...
DON'T leave a stub, but DO leave the 'collar' at the base of a branch, since a tree has natural defenses there. Always make 'clean cuts.'
  

The first step in removing a branch is getting the weight off:

  • Go out a foot or two from the trunk and first make an undercut 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the branch.   If you go too far, your saw will get pinched.
  • Then make your second cut all the way through the branch from the top side of the branch, just an inch or two outward from your first cut.
  • The branch should then fall away without tearing bark back to the trunk.  Maples always want to tear.








Seasonal
Late Winter-Early Spring:

  • This is the best season to prune most plants because it is prior to the beginning of growth.
  • Prune at ground level of a few of the oldest canes from all mature shrubs, except the early flowering types.
  • Trim deciduous hedges wider at the base narrower at the top.
  • From dormant fruit trees – remove weak, broken and crowded branches.
  • Head back branches that have flower buds.
  • In spring, prune evergreens of winter damaged wood and discolored foliage.
  • Avoid pruning frozen wood.

Late Spring-Early Summer:

  • This is the season of greatest growth.
  • Remove some of the oldest canes of mature shrubs after flowering. Pinch out tips to encourage branching.
  • Freely trim narrow-leaf evergreens of new growth.
  • Remove dead flowers from broad-leaf evergreens to prevent formation of speed pods.
  • Pinch any buds that may be starting unwanted growth.

Summer:

  • Summer pruning entails removal of plant parts that are actively at work.
  • Shear hedges regularly for appearance.
  • Prune some lower branches from shade trees to develop clean trunks.
  • Always be ready to pinch tips of leafy shoots, but not until after flowering.
  • Limit pruning done late in the summer as new growth may be damaged by the coming low temperatures.

Fall-Winter:

  • Prune shade trees all winter for general shaping and to repair damage.
  • Prune shrubs once more in September, especially to remove basal suckers.
  • Avoid pruning evergreens.
  • When removing heavy limbs, use proper safety proceedures.