There’s something about this time of the year that makes people crave pruning more than vampires yearn for blood. With fall garden cleanup in full swing, maybe it’s all the raking and mulching that has people going bananas. But before you start hacking at your trees and bushes, take a tip from a seasoned gardening expert. “The rules of fall pruning are simple: Prune nothing in the fall! That’s N-O-T-H-I-N-G! Nada! Bupkiss! Zilch! Zero! Ladies—hide the pruners from ‘helpful husbands!'” pleads emphatic gardening expert Mike McGrath, author of Mike McGrath’s Book of Compost, and radio host of WYYY FM Philadelphia’s You Bet Your Garden radio show. That goes for shrubs and plants as well as trees, McGrath insists. “Hang little signs on your roses that say, ‘Leave me alone until midwinter; or even better, spring.’ There are no exceptions! Do not prune anything now. Got it?”
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Understand Why Fall Is Not Prime Time For Pruning
“As I try to stress every year at this time, pruning them now stimulates new growth just when the plants are trying to go dormant, and this severely weakens the plants,” says McGrath. “Plus, if you prune on a warm day, sap rises up into the plant. Then, it drops below freezing that night, and boom—not a pretty sight.”………..
Know What To Hack
There is a long list of trees and shrubs that you can prune from winter until the sap starts flowing again in spring. Some of them include: glossy abelia, beauty berries, hydrangeas, Bradford and Callory pears, crabapples, poplar, spruce, junipers, sumacs, cherries, and plums……….Keep Tools Clean
No matter what type of pruning tools you decide to use, make sure you keep them clean. If you’ve cut out diseased branches, make sure you clean the tools thoroughly before moving on to another tree, to avoid spreading disease………..……….
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Article source: Rodale’s Organic Life
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