Expert Pruning Guide: Tips for Trees & Roses

Pruning Tips Browse the article Pruning Tips

Pruning Tips

Pruning a Shade TreeSupplies:

• Gloves
• Loppers (long-handled pruners)

Instructions:

1. Don't prune all the way back to the trunk.  This will disfigure the tree and promote rapid, abnormal growth.
2. Remove all dead/broken branches.
3. Thin out any branches that seem to be interfering with each other.
4. Prune any limbs that are hanging over the side of your house or are closer than 8 feet to your sidewalk.

Pruning RosesSupplies:

• Gloves
• Hand Pruners - make sure they're sharp to avoid crushing the wood of the plant.

Instructions:

1. Prune dead/broken branches.
2. To determine if branch is dead, gently scrape the bark with your fingernail to reveal the color underneath.  If it's green/white, it's alive.  If it's brown/black, it's dead.
3. Go about 6 inches into the live growth and cut with the hand pruners.  Your cut should be angled, sloping away from the buds.

Tip

For your safety and the health of the tree, if you cannot hold the branch up with one hand while cutting with the other, undercut the branch about one foot from the trunk.  Then saw the branch off just outside where you undercut.  This will help you as well as prevent stripping of the bark.