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The Pueblo County Extension office provides assistance and programs for citizens in five main areas: Agriculture, Horticulture, Family and Consumer Science, Natural Resources and 4-H Youth Programs.

It comes as a surprise to many that this time of year is actually the perfect and preferred time to take care of a lot of the pruning needs in the yard. I know, just when you thought you wouldn’t have to bother with any garden chores for another couple months at least, but trust me, it’s worth it!

By pruning at this time of year, we’re taking advantage of the lack of insects, funguses, and viruses that may cause problems during warmer months. Along with that, our woody plants are currently ‘resting’ and not in the middle of doing some of their most important work like getting ready to bloom out, making tons of food for storage in their roots, or leaf-dropping and preparing for fall. They have had a chance to finish all of that work and acclimate to the cold.

Spring-Blooming Shrubs-Prune after flowering:

  • Forsythia
  • Nanking Cherry
  • Quince
  • Bridal Wreath and Vanhoutte Spireas
  • Viburnums
  • Beautybush
  • Lilac
  • Honeysuckle
  • Peashrub
  • Deutzia
  • Weigela

Summer-Blooming Shrubs-Prune Late Winter/Early Spring Before Bud Break:

  • Butterfly Bush
  • Blue Mist Spirea
  • Hancock Coralberry
  • Mock Orange
  • Potentilla
  • Bumald and Japanese Spirea
  • Annabelle and Peegee Hydrangea
  • Rose of Sharon
  • Snowberry
  • St. John’s Wort

When we begin to consider pruning, any cuts you make should be getting rid of damaged branches, infected areas, and any other growth that may be inhibiting good structure. These are your first priorities. Once they’ve been met, you can look at what other cosmetic cuts may be warranted as long as you follow the rule of never removing more than 1/3 of the branches or leaf area at one time.

When removing any branch, large or small, avoid stubs and cuts close to the trunk. As a guideline, look for a bark ridge (can have a different color or texture) located in the branch crotch. You also will find that most branches have a slight swelling or “collar” at their base. Avoid cutting into this because that will destroy a natural protection or boundary in the tree. You want your cuts to be smooth with no ragged edges and made at an angle of around 1/8-1/4 inch beyond a bud or branch which will guide water away from the cut.

When removing branches, never just take the tops or branch tips. Undercut large branches to prevent bark-stripping when the branch falls. (See figure below.) Then remove most of the branch weight with a cut outside of the undercut.

Make a third cut outside of the branch bark ridge and collar to remove the stub (see Figure 1). Do not make flush cuts, as has been incorrectly described for many years. Dr. Alex Shigo of the U.S. Forest Service discovered that flush cuts remove a natural boundary into the tree, thus opening the tree to infection.

drawing of a branch showing where to prune: undercut to prevent bark stripping, remove most of limb, remove stub making cut outside of branch bark ridge and collar

Finally, as tempting as it may be, please don’t try to wrap or cover any pruning cuts. Research has shown that doing this or applying sealants to the wounds can, in fact, encourage disease issues and can slow healing. If you prune well and have a healthy tree, your cuts will heal.

Pueblo County Extension
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