Many of us work very hard to make our plants as healthy as possible. We do research online, talk to our neighbors, attend gardening seminars, fertilize, spray them with chemicals to prevent insects and disease and the list goes on. However, there is one simple thing many homeowners overlook that can accomplish all this without money from your pocket or chemicals in the environment. What is it???? \u2026\u2026. Proper pruning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most people have been trained to believe that \u201cshearing\u201d shrubs and bushes is an appropriate method of pruning. While some plant material like Boxwood, Podocarpus and Dwarf yaupon holly do respond to shearing well, 95% of all shrubs should NOT be sheared. This method of pruning is detrimental in many ways:
1. It requires more frequent pruning to maintain a consistent form. This leads to the removal of many flowering shrubs buds and blooms (ie Azaleas, Camelias, Gardenias, etc.) If you don\u2019t know when these plants set their buds and merely when they bloom, then you are more than likely pruning off potential flowers.
2. It creates a \u201cskeleton\u201d plant. Everyone has seen this. A shrub with about 3 inches of foliage on the outside and absolutely no leaves inside. This creates several problems:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- a. reduced foliage equals less photosenthesis (energy production)<\/li>
- b. Less air movement leading to increased moisture within the canopy. This results in more susceptibility to disease and higher insect infestations.<\/li>
- c. increased pruning frequency creates a cycle of a plant always trying to recover and heal itself from the cuts. This expends valuable energy and also makes it more susceptible to disease.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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