Pruning in winter involves cutting back and reshaping certain plants to encourage strong healthy growth and plenty of fruit and flowers, plus it can help prevent the spread of disease
Gardening aficionados, it’s time to wield those pruning shears because trimming your green friends during this season could result in blooming rewards come spring. Julia Omelchenko from Plantum, the app that identifies plants and nurtures plant care, has shed light on why snipping back your foliage now is essential.
According to Julia: “Autumn pruning is important to promote healthier growth in plants, improve their flowering and appearance, and prevent fungal and bacterial diseases.” But before you go all Edward Scissorhands on your garden, remember some golden rules. Arm yourself with sharp, sterile equipment – think scissors and saws to make sure those cuts are neat and tidy.
Don’t forget to clean your tools with diligence to avoid unwittingly playing host to any pesky pathogens, reports the Express. And it’s a must to kit yourself out in gloves and goggles for protection. Once you’ve given your plants a good trim, treat them to a disinfectant like fungicide or potassium permanganate, and seal those thicker boughs with a pruning sealer to block out infections.
1. Fruit trees
Now, for the eager pruners out there, set your sights first and foremost on fruit trees. Julia suggested giving apple and pear trees a good prune around December, which is smack dab in the middle of their dormant phase – lasting right up until the onset of spring.
You’ll need to get rid of damaged and diseased shoots, as well as bare branches, and thin out the crown. This will “increase yields, prevent diseases, and improve the appearance” of your plant. However, it’s crucial not to remove more than a third of a branch at once.
2. Roses
It’s important to prune your roses during this period, however, this “only applies to” climbing varieties. Other types should be pruned after frosts in late winter or early spring to get rid of branches that have been damaged during this time.
To prune them now, trim back dead, damaged, and dense stems of your climbing roses. Remove any shoots growing inward from the crown to ensure good air circulation.
This will safeguard the roses from powdery mildew, which is caused by excessive moisture and poor airflow.
3. Evergreen plants
Evergreen plants, such as the juniper, thuja, and yew, should be pruned during December, although it can also be done in spring. Their branches should also not be cut more than a third of their length.
This will “prevent stress” and “promote healthy growth”. Since conifers are prone to fungal diseases, sanitary pruning is an “excellent” preventative measure against infections.
