Pruning Landscape Trees, Shrubs, and Palms Linda Seals agente de extensión agricola el condado de Brevard, Florida
What will we learn? Importance of proper pruning Basic plant biology Types of pruning cuts Different methods of pruning trees and shrubs How palms should (or should not) be pruned How and why you should sanitize pruning tools
Pruning is the act of removing any part of a plant What is pruning? Pruning is the act of removing any part of a plant
Mowing is pruning!
The Golden Rule of Pruning Never remove more than 1/3 of a plant at one time! Even when mowing turfgrass!
Exception: rejuvenation pruning
What’s the big deal? International Society of Arborists estimates that 90% of the problems encountered are not caused by living agents (pests or pathogens) but result from: Environmental stresses Mechanical injuries Wrong plant, wrong place
What makes it all work? Apical Dominance!
Apical Dominance is… Inhibition of the growth of lateral buds by the terminal bud of a plant shoot
The parts of apical dominance: hormones and terminal buds Auxins are plant hormones They do lots of things such as help seeds develop, form leaves, help fruits develop, encourage roots to grow, help leaves fall off in autumn, tell roots and stems which direction grow, help cells to grow, and… drive Apical Dominance!
Where are auxins found? Auxins are concentrated and manufactured in the last terminal bud on stem or limb
Apical Dominance Auxin moves downward Apex or terminal bud Auxin inhibits lateral bud break Apical Dominance Auxin inhibits lateral shoot growth Auxin increases crotch angle size
Apical Dominance Auxins are manufactured in the terminal bud Remove the terminal bud, remove the hormone If the hormone INHIBITS bud break, what happens if you remove it?
Remove the last terminal buds Apical Dominance
Apical Dominance
The order of bud break may depend on the leaf arrangement Alternate Opposite Whorled The order of bud break may depend on the leaf arrangement
Alternate Arrangement Opposite Arrangement
The 3 Steps to Pruning Remove dead, diseased plant material Remove malformed branches, limbs: Narrow crotch angles Crossovers Rubbing limbs or branches Objective pruning (pruning techniques)
Step 1: Remove dead and diseased Limbs Dead and diseased limbs should be removed immediately whenever possible. This task can be conducted year round regardless of the growing season.
Step 2: remove narrow crotch angles