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 my conifer hedge with shears or an electric trimmer?

Are there reasons to select hedge shears vs electric trimmers when trimming a conifer hedge? I have about 30 meters to trim, and haven't purchased either of these yet. Which option would you choose for this situation?
drake035
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What is the effect of candling pine evergreens?

I recently purchased a dwarf evergreen (a Japanese White Hagoromo and a Japanese Black Pine) and was instructed by the salesman to twist off all of the "candles" at about the halfway point once they have reached an inch or two long. He said this…
glenviewjeff
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Maple suddenly has some variegated leaves. What should I do?

I have a maple in my front yard that suddenly has some variegated leaves on two branches. It is this maple that I asked about in 2019. The pruning effort seems to be going well, but two branches that I'm trying to train upward and eventually replace…
6937
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Mulberry bleeding for a month

When I got my mulberry plant 8 months ago, it has two main branches. I wanted only 1 main branch. So removed one branch before planting. But the way I have removed the branch was, I left 1.5 inch from the trunk. It worked nicely. Recently, I decided…
EresDev
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Can new branches be grafted to cedar hedge stump?

I have a large cedar hedge that in most parts is very full and dense, but due to excessive outward growth and lack of consistent pruning, there are sections that are very open and "woody", with the stump exposed and not a whole lot of branches for…
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When does a queen palm need trimming?

Recently moved into a new house which has a couple of Queen Palms and have never had to take care of palms before. Questions: Do these palms need trimming? If so, how much trimming do they need and do I just cut the lower fronds off? Is there a…
Guy
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Should I prune Rudbeckia for winter?

My Rudbeckias have had a great 2nd summer, have now grown up to 60cm ish in height and have flowered like mad for at least a couple of months. I'm just wondering how best to care for them over the winter? (in the UK midlands) This RHS article…
Ted
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Should I trim yellowing leaves/branches on my tomato plant?

Should I trim my determinate heirloom tomato plant of yellowing leaves and branches? I did a lot of research on how to trim, but all I could find was the general advice of “determinate plants don’t need trimming.” Does this mean I SHOULD NOT trim my…
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Pruning leaves from bell pepper plants

I have a few bell pepper plants out in the garden and they are finally starting to bud. Is it a good idea to prune the older and larger leaves below the buds to encourage larger fruit? I am growing them in a Topsy Turvey™ and they are doing quite…
Tyler
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How to prune chili plants to help recover from transplant shock

I have a ghost pepper plant I'm growing indoors, and I just (5 days ago) transplanted it from a 7" to a 12" pot. Not knowing any better at the time, I broke up the roots a bit during transplant. Now my plant is wilting, but the soil feels moist to…
Empiromancer
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When should I prune espalier apple trees?

I have a row of 5 beautiful espalier apple trees (Jonagold, Granny Smith and Gravenstein) that are about 4 years old, and they put out huge amounts of growth over the summer. I've been pruning the first growth back in late June, but when should I…
KMerkens
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How to revitalize my potted Rosemary

I have a potted Rosemary bush, purchased in the current pot a little over a year ago. It did well over last summer & this past winter, producing new growth after being pruned for kitchen use. As the weather transitioned from cool (zone 10a San…
renesis
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Pinching vs Pruning

Does pinching (using fingernails) or pruning (using a scissors or shear) affect an indoor houseplant differently ? And which method should I use with herb plants like mint and basil ?
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Should I redo this pruning cut?

It looks to me that this pruning cut left too much of the branch that was cut: Should I cut again closer to the trunk? Should I perhaps fill the hole in the center with something? Is there a sign of any serious illness? UPDATE: New photos:
VividD
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How should I prune my persimmon tree that has a lot of thin branches growing upward?

I want to get advice on how to prune my persimmon tree. As the photo shows, many of the branches are growing upward. They are thin and at a very acute angle against the main trunk. Particularly, the top part of the main trunk (right photo) has many…
DSKim
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