Its almost that time of year again. On Saturday March 31 and Sunday April 1 the annual tree pruning clinic will be held at Art Knapps Plantland (Kimball Road location only).
This is a great clinic to go to if you haven't pruned before and would like to start or if you want to sharpen up your skills. If you don't know how to prune it is better not to prune as you can do more damage then good, and it could take years to fix the mistakes or even worse the tree/shrub could die.
Not all deciduous trees or shrubs need to be pruned on a yearly basis. Pruning is done to increase crop or flower production, rejuvenation, create or maintain a uniform shape, or for the plants health.
Any dead, damaged or diseased branches should be removed to keep the tree/shrub healthy. Also if branches are interfering with each other or rubbing against each other these should be removed.
Some shrubs such as the red twig dogwood are pruned to promote new brightly coloured growth. By removing up to one-third of the older growth which is less colourful the shrub will create new bright red twigs.
When cutting out the old branches, remove them from the ground level. Other shrubs that benefit from pruning are the later blooming shrubs such spireas and potentillas.
Pruning them back in the spring will promote new growth which will later promote more flowers
because potentillas and spireas bloom on new growth.
Birch and maples would not be pruned in early spring because the sap is already flowing pruning would kill them. These are pruned in August or in the winter. If you are not sure whether the sap is flowing, I suggest to cut off a small twig to test it first.
Early flowering shrubs is another group that is not pruned in early spring. These are better left until after they have finished blooming because the flower buds were already set last season.
It is still a little too early to prune. Pruning is done when you can see the buds begin to swell. Something that can be done now is removing any burlap or other protective fabric from trees, shrubs and roses.
Leaving it on too late in the season can cause mould when the temperatures warm up. Also remove any rope or string that was used to tie trees to protect them from heavy snow loads. Mouse guards can also be removed now.
Pruners should be well lubricated and cleaned.
Cleaning pruners is especially important when you are removing any diseased wood as you don't want the disease to spread to healthy parts of the tree/shrub.
Having the right equipment helps when it comes to pruning. A good pair hand pruners is a must as these can cut branches up to three-quarters of an inch thick.
Lopping shears or long-handled pruners are good for branches up to one inch, and for thicker branche
heavier-duty, double-action and ratchet types are good.
Branches that are two inches or more should be cut off with a pruning saw. Also available for those high branches are long-handled loppers as well as saws and pruners with adjustable, extendable handles.
If you are not sure what to do when pruning, I suggest you come to the pruning clinic on March 31 at 10 a.m, or April 1 at 1 p.m. The course will be led by professional tree pruners.
There is a $10 fee and all of the proceeds collected will go towards the Child Development Centre. Please call the store at 250 964-6056 to ensure a seat.
Standing room will be made available for those who come later. =
