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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Are tar based products really useful in treating tree wounds?

There are a lot of articles on the web ranked highly in searches that advocate the use of tar/tar based products to seal tree wounds such as pruning cuts. For example — "Homemade tree wounds". However, this is really an outdated practice and the use…
Lorem Ipsum
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How aggressively can you prune chilli plants?

I recently pruned my chilli plants after watching some videos on topping. I was more aggressive on plants where there were signs of new growth further down the stem. In other places, I left some side branches. After seeing some overwintering videos,…
Megasaur
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Can I trim knockout rosebushes in winter?

I live in Northern Virginia and am concerned about possible heavy snow damaging two knockout rosebushes this winter. Is it okay to trim them slightly now with a bigger trim at the beginning of spring? I don't want to stimulate new growth now if…
Janice
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Should I be burning evergreen trimmings?

I live in bucolic neighbourhood outside of town. Around here, when we trim evergreens we make a fire and burn them. It gives off a lot of smoke. Is this the best approach to deal with these? Should I store them until they're dry and then burn them? …
hba
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How should I care for my multi-variety apple and pear trees?

I am a novice gardener living in the San Francisco Bay Area. When I created my vegetable/fruit garden, the landscaper recommended grafted fruit trees (ones which produce 6 different varieties of fruits). As a result I have one pear tree which…
JStorage
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Is it harmful to prune summer bearing raspberries in early autumn?

I planted raspberry canes last autumn which have grown well and produced a good crop this year. Some of the canes have grown to 7 or 8 feet and are dangling over the fence into a neighbour's garden. Can these be safely cut back at this time of year?…
Twisted
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Can I thin grapes/vines in July?

I have bought a garden in Austria (Central Europe) which has some grape vines (I don't know the exact kind). The previous owner told me they harvested 20 kilograms of grapes last summer. Currently (early July) the vines are bearing a good handful of…
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How do you manage dying leaves on young plants?

If a leaf on a plant is shriveling or yellowing, should you cut it off or leave it there? If you do the former, should you only snip off the damaged parts or should you cut off the entire leaf? My question is pertinent to young plants that may have…
JoJo
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Is it safe to hard prune my basil plant?

My basil plant has lost all the leaves 12-14 inches from the the bottom. The plant is looking leggy. I want to make it look bushier and short. Would it be safe to prune it by cutting it into half or 2/3rd?
rahul dagli
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How to get more shoots after pruning Yucca?

I have cut off the top of my Yucca elephantipes, and after a few months a new shoot comes from the stem. My question is, is it possible to get more than one shoot? And if yes, how to do that? How can I stimulate the plant to have more shoots…
benn
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Topping (ungrafting?) an ornamental weeping cherry

We have an ornamental weeping cherry tree that we'd like to remove -- we wanted a bigger tree. But first, we were wondering if we were to just top it (cut the tree below the graft), if we could end up with a viable (and bigger) cherry tree. Maybe…
rrauenza
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Can I keep my Japanese Larch small by pruning?

I have a 4 year old Japanese Larch and would like to prune the leader as it grew very quickly last year and has very few branches compared to the bottom half of the tree which is nice and bushy. I would also like to control the size of the tree…
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What's the best way to renovate mature pear trees?

Of the descriptions about renovating mature fruit trees this seemed useful: Fedco Trees Tips for Renovating Old Apple Trees These images show trees that are fuller than the ones I am dealing with: The trees I have are typically very tall and…
CW Holeman II
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Should I prune a Venus Flytrap to prevent it from digesting itself?

My Venus Flytrap is quite crowded, there are traps under traps and I've noticed one clamped over the stems of another. Should I prune it? Will it digest itself?
BanksySan
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How should young honey locust trees be pruned?

I have four young (2-3 yrs) Honey Locust trees which seem to be doing very well this year. By that, I mean they've shown lots of growth and the leaves are very green and healthy. The trunks of these young trees all have many new shoots of green…
JYelton
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