Questions tagged [pruning]

Questions about how to best cut plant branches, vines or stems. For questions about root pruning please use the [root-pruning] tag.

"Pruning" is the act of cutting a plant's branch (typically of a or ), or (of a , , etc.).

Pruning is performed primarily to produce a better shaped plant, or to promote new growth of branches or .

In many cases, prunings (i.e. the discarded branches) can be used as to create new plants.

In rare situation even roots could be pruned to remove rotten parts, or to be able to remove a plant from an outgrown pot, etc. For questions like these use the tag.

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Should I trim the shoots coming off the root of my grapevines?

I have a couple of grapevines that were planted 3 years ago. The first year, they didn't do much. The second year, there was lots of growth, but only a couple of grapes. This year, I pruned it back quite a bit (I have 3 vines in an 8' garden) but…
chris
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Is there a way to prune or train my tree to grow more horizontally?

I lost a beloved diseased dogwood tree that had made a wonderful space in my yard by growing long stretching horizontal branches that made a canopy of sorts. About a year or two I replaced it with another dogwood, and I would like to try to…
glenviewjeff
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Does a pomegranate tree need propping up?

We planted a small pomegranate tree (about 1 foot tall) a couple of years ago. The tree has been growing nicely, now standing about 3-4 feet tall. Last year we had a bunch of flowers but no fruit. This spring I pruned it fairly aggressively and we…
Michael Teper
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What is a general rule of thumb for when to prune plants and trees?

It seems like every plant that I come across has a different (and seemingly random) best time to prune. Is there some sort of generally rule that I could apply to any plant and have a pretty good idea when to prune. I really don't want to have to…
David Kethel
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Is there a simple rule of thumb for caring for potted plants in an office?

I've recently been made responsible for watering and taking care of many small potted plants around our office, and I have little to no gardening experience. There are many different types of plants, and I don't have the time to research the details…
jrdioko
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How should I prune my pomegranate trees?

I have a pomegranate tree that is 6 years old. It didn't get enough water for several years, and was growing under a canopy of other trees, so it only grew about 1 meter (~4 feet) high. How and when should I prune it to stimulate growth?
Jonathan
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Pruning a weeping mulberry

We have a wonderful weeping mulberry (Morus alba pendula) (male, so no fruit) in our front yard. It's massive - probably 15' tall and at least that diameter. The problem is that it's growing larger and larger - every year it sends out a new layer of…
Drew
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Should I prune the lower buds of my bare-root tree that's waking up?

I planted a bare-root Gala apple tree last year, and it's waking up now and budding all over. However, a good number of the buds are close to the ground, and they're coming out along the entire length of the young trunk. Should I prune the buds…
iLikeDirt
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Can I eradicate blackspot on roses with a winter pruning?

In mid-winter, I pruned my standard roses back harshly. Black-spot can be a problem on these roses. The pruning is such that they have hardly any leaves. The remaining leaves do not have any black-spot. Should I spray now to remove any remaining…
WW01
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How do I prune a cork-screw willow?

I would like to have a small "cork-screw' willow in my front yard. I don't want it as a bush, but with a strong middle trunk. It currently is about 1.5 feet tall. It has three fairly equally tall trunks. One is very bent. The other two are fairly…
Joseph Barisonzi
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What is a sucker and how does it differ from a water sprout or branch?

In a post about renovating mature pear trees there is a diagram (below) showing tree nomenclature as it pertains to pruning. In it, the letter "A" indicates suckers, and "E" marks shaded interior branches. What's the difference? Another diagram I…
That Idiot
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Are old raspberry canes required to be chopped off?

I just bought a Fall Gold Raspberry plant. It came with instructions to prune away canes that have already fruited because only new canes can fruit. What If I were to leave the old canes there? Do the canes serve any other purpose to the plant…
JoJo
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What's a good method for pruning an apple tree?

Three years ago i moved into a new house. In the garden was a lovely apple tree. The first year we harvested 10 buckets of fruit. I'm not talking small buckets, there was lots of fruit. I could tell the tree hadn't been pruned in years so I set…
LindaL
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Should raspberries & boysenberries be pruned in early summer?

I have a boysenberry plant and a black-raspberry plant that are growing vigorously on a trellis. However, there are a couple of shoots (about a meter long now) that are growing away from the trellis and there isn't enough space on it for me to wait…
Lorem Ipsum
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How to prune roses with tall branches?

I have this neglected rose bush in my garden. It seems too long and spindly? How and when should I prune it?
Dan
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