When you were stringing the Christmas lights on that big evergreen or along the yew hedge in your front yard, did you notice that it was a little shaggy or misshapen and think it could use a little pruning? Don’t worry, it’s not a chore that needs to be finished along with the last minute Christmas shopping, buy you may want to put it on your calendar for late winter.
When you prune, follow the tree’s general branching pattern to preserve its original character. Keep it looking more natural by cutting back to side shoots or buds.
Use sharp pruning tools and cut off only as much as you need to. If you prune every year, this should be about 2/3 of the new growth. If you cut back further than the new year’s growth, you run the risk of cutting off the growth tip and killing the branch.
For pines, spruces and firs, new growth comes only in spring in the form of “candles,” a single flush of tip growth. Next year’s bud grows out of the candle, so if you cut off the entire candle, that branch will never grow again. Spruce and firs have side buds that will sprout if the terminal bud is removed, but if you cut the entire candle off a pine, the branch is done for.
Arborvitae, junipers, yews and hemlocks grow continuously throughout the growing season and can be pruned anytime through the middle of summer. Pruning stimulates new growth, and by pruning after July 15 you run the risk of winter injury to the tender new growth.
Arborvitae is about the only tree that can be safely topped. Shear along the sides and top to keep growth thick and the plant at the desired size. Buds break and produce new growth even from woody stems on arborvitae so if yours is overgrown, don’t be afraid to prune it back hard. Yews also produce buds from old wood and can be pruned severely if needed.
Junipers do not form buds on old wood so it is important to prune regularly starting when the plant is young to keep the plant dense and vigorous.
To remove large branches, make an undercut halfway through the branch, a foot out from the trunk. Make a second cut on the top side of the branch, meeting the undercut. Finally, remove the stub with your third cut. This three-cut method prevents the falling branch from tearing a large section of bark from the trunk.
When making the final cut, don’t leave a stub and don’t make a flush cut. Do cut just beyond the branch collar, the natural swelling that occurs when the branch attaches to a larger limb or the trunk.
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