All gardeners should know the right time to prune. It is important to know the right timing to create healthier, more productive as well beautiful plants. Pruning is best done during colder months, exactly before winter ends and right before springtime starts. Hence, it will only expose fresh wounds from pruning for a short period before the sealing process starts. It is because the growth of new leaves begins. It is true especially for cedar hedge trimming, as there are lots of benefits that plants can get out of pruning.
Pruning at the right time can benefit plant health when removing dead and dried branches. It prevents branches from rubbing together and stubs that can lead to health problems.
When to trim cedar hedges is during the dormant seasons as this is the best time for pruning. The following are tips on the best time to prune according to the type of shrubs and trees.
Deciduous Shrubs
When it comes to deciduous shrubs, it is vital to do pruning according to plant health, bloom seasons, and growth habits. Spring-flowering plants like forsythia and lilac usually bloom during spring, and pruning lilac bushes are done according to their health condition.
In healthy spring-flowering shrubs, the best period to do the pruning is right after flowering, but one should only do moderate pruning. It will encourage new flowers to bloom for the next season.
Pruning lilac bushes that have been neglected for a long time requires heavy pruning to promote the renewing of new plants. The rejuvenation process or pruning of large and shrub-like lilac is during late winter between late March and early April.
For summer flowering plants like potentilla, it requires the same pruning season, late winter to early spring. There are types of deciduous shrubs that do not produce a lot of beautiful flowers. These types of shrubs still need the same pruning season as other shrubs. Hence, it is good to avoid pruning from August to September because it makes the plant susceptible to injuries caused by cold weather conditions.
Evergreen Shrubs
This type of shrubs like yew or juniper requires similar pruning time, and it is important only to do light pruning. However, one can also do light trimming during the mid-summer season but avoid doing it during the fall season. Pruned evergreens during fall make it more prone to injuries incurred during colder months, the same with cedar hedge trimming.
Deciduous Trees
For deciduous trees, pruning time is from February until March. The reason is that it is the time when foliage is absent, giving gardeners a clear view of the branches. It will help gardeners to select branches to remove carefully. However, it is different for oak trees as this tree can be pruned from December to February.
If you want to know when to trim cedar hedges, it is good to know that deciduous trees can be pruned in other months within a year without any negative effects on the tree’s health. However, it is crucial to remember that as much as possible, avoid trimming deciduous trees during spring and fall.
For oak trees, do not trim during March until October to avoid wilting and infection. The oak wilt is a condition that promotes fungal disease that is very dangerous to oaks. Fungal infections can easily spread from sick to healthy trees through beetles or also known as picnic bugs. If there is a need to prune an oak tree during the spring or summer months, it is necessary to apply latex paint to the pruned parts to avoid bugs from infecting the wounds.
Fruit Trees
If you have amazing fruit trees in your garden, you can choose to do the pruning activity either in late February or early April. The most important thing to remember is to prune right before fruit trees start to break bud.
Evergreen Trees
For evergreen trees like fir and pine trees, it only requires light pruning, and one can do it any season within the year in case of diseased and broken branches. Like cedar hedge trimming for unwanted branches, late winter is the best time to do it.
Pine trees start to grow from kits terminal buds, and it does not produce lateral buds. One can slow down their pine trees’ growth by pruning two-thirds of the terminal buds or the candle-shaped buds. It can be done during the springtime when the candle is just two to three inches long.
