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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Do I dare drastically cut fruit bushes back?

I'm seeing a cherry bush that has all the flowers up high (out of reach), and a current bush that doesn't seem to really be producing new growth. Should I cut them or any other bushes to the ground?
black thumb
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How to prune a young MASTIC TREE?

This little tree is about 5 feet tall and has 4-5 stems - I want it to have multi trunk. It's growing in AZ so should I worry about sun damage after I pruned it to make it look less like a bush. The stems are only about 1" thick at this point.…
amazingAZ
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Geranium petals are drying out

My geranium petals are drying out. They are sitting in a jute lined crate, plenty of drainage (which I need because it rains on and off in this city a lot). However, I test the soul every few days and always rewater when the soil gets dry. So I…
Ryan
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Mango tree post efflorescence… what now?

Healthy young mango grew a large efflorescence, but didn’t ultimately produce fruit. That’s ok! But now there’s a big “leftover” growth atop the primary trunk, and some smaller new growth coming up alongside it. Should I prune the leftover…
PHiL
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When to remove unwanted buds

I have planted a 15 feet long mulberry plant about a week ago. I don't want it to have any branch in its bottom 7 feet. But I see it is growing new buds everywhere. When to remove these wanted bottom buds? Right away or let them grow to some length…
EresDev
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How should I prune this kafir lime to produce a bushier plant

I live in Sydney, AU. I have a kafir lime with 3 lanky branches. That I bought last year. Now that summer is almost upon us, I want to prune it a bit to produce a more bushy plant. At the start of spring, the tips of those branches grew by 5-10 cm…
Megasaur
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Bare branches on schefflera plant

My schefflera has leaf stems but not on the bottom 2.5 feet. If I cut it back will it grow leaf stems where it is bare?
Primmrose
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How to branch indoors grown mango?

I have this mango tree, which is about 7-8 years old and 150cm - 200cm high. But it's still not branching, still only growing a new straight trunk. How do I make it to branch a bit? Should I prune it? If yes, how much should I cut down? Also, I…
rRr
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What should i do with this tree?

Some branches are not producing leaves. And it it branching out. What should I do with the tree. Prune or..?
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Protecting the pruned stem of a yucca with wax?

As mentioned in another question I have a large yucca houseplant which I need to prune back. I live in central New York State (USA) which has a temperate & wettish climate. I noticed in a couple of other sources that people use what seems to be…
StayOnTarget
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Suggested pot size for fruit trees?

In different orangeries the pots for fruit trees (in particular citrus fruit) seem rather small compared to what some gardeners suggest, and also compared to the following root ball table. What special treatment do the trees have to receive in order…
B--rian
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Pruning miniature olive trees

I have a small Cailletier olive tree that I hoping to keep indoors. I live in New England so it cannot be outdoors in the winter. It is currently getting somewhat long and sprawling in its branches which are like fronds. Should I try to make it more…
Andre Lenotre
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Can you help me prune my chilis?

I'm new to gardening, this is the second time for me trying to make a vegetable garden. Last year I bought a plant of chili and it grew very big. Some branches became very long at the bottom and with the weight of the chilies they almost touched the…
Andrea
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Growing a trimmed holly as a tree

I bought a holly (Oakland) that I wanted online because I could not find it locally. The nursery trimmed and shaped it nicely before shipping including cutting the central leader. I want this to grow freely as a tree and not a regularly manicured…
user1469762
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Planting bare root perennials

I bought some bare root perennial flowers which have some fairly long roots attached. Should I trim up these roots before planting? As is, the hole will need to be very wide lest the roots be twisted around, which doesn't sound ideal.
user1469762
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