Pruning – how to succeed

The general rule is that most healthy trees and bushes can be pruned almost anytime, except in the spring when they grow the most. Pruning at the very end of winter is significantly easier since the shape of the crown is then clearly visible without the foliage.

To avoid missing the flowering of spring-flowering bushes, these are preferably pruned after flowering. Bushes that flower later in the summer and autumn can be pruned in the spring. When you have pruned your plants in the spring, it is nice to give them some new soil and fertilizer at the same time so that they get a good start to the new season.

The JAS period (July, August, September) is another excellent time for pruning. Then you can make sure to prune the plants that are a little sensitive, for example, birch, maple, walnut, mulberry, hornbeam, vine, and fruit trees like cherry and plum. Preferably choose a dry and sunny day to prune; rain and moisture increase the risk of fungal attack.

• It is important to have the right tools when you prune! Both for the tree's and your own sake. Pruning shears, for example, are available in a variety of possible and impossible shapes and colors. Choose one that really fits your hand! It can be unnecessarily tiring to prune with pruning shears of the wrong size. Perhaps you need several shears that fit different family members' hands? A good supplement to the pruning shears is a lopper; it easily cuts off thicker branches with a fine cut.
• Also, consider the tool's weight. In the long run, it becomes tiring to work with an overly heavy hedge trimmer or lopper. An electric hedge trimmer may do the job faster and more comfortably if you have a long hedge to prune. Avoid using a handsaw/carpenter's saw when pruning! It gets stuck much easier than a lopper.
• Remember that if you prune trees with blunt tools, the tree's wound will not be as clean. This causes the bark to be crushed around the cut surface, which in turn causes the tree to heal more slowly after pruning. If you instead use sharp pruning shears with a movable counter-hold, the branch is cut off with a clean cut, and the tree heals much faster.

Pruning trees can easily go wrong if you are too cautious and don't dare to prune enough, or if you prune too much. If you are unsure how to prune, you can take pictures of the tree from different angles. Then "prune" the tree on your PC or mobile phone, or print the picture on paper and "prune" it with a pen (or scissors). This way, you can try it out a bit before you start pruning the tree with pruning shears or a saw.

Checklist:

• Only save one top shoot for a beautiful crown.
• A branch should not compete with other branches. Therefore, remove nearby branches that will grow in the same direction as the branch you want as the main branch.
• Branches should not rub against each other. Save the branches you want to focus on and remove those that are too close to each other.
• Branches that grow straight out from the trunk are often strongest. The most common thing is to remove branches that have an angle to the trunk that is less than 45 degrees. This is to avoid breakage damage from large yields or if the snow becomes too heavy.
• The branches should grow outwards and form an airy crown. Remove all branches that grow inwards.
• Keep an eye on damaged and diseased branches. Dry and dead branches should be removed immediately.

All branches should be cut close to the trunk or main branch so that only a short stub remains. This reduces the risk of root fungus attacks. Older, freely growing hedges are best rejuvenated by removing older branches. Always prune them close to the ground. Then new shoots will come from below. If you cut too high up, the new shoots will develop into so-called twigs, which make the hedge sparse at the bottom and dense at the top.

When you cut larger branches, it can happen that the branch breaks off and flakes up the bark along the trunk before you manage to saw through the entire branch. Therefore, larger branches should be cut in three steps.

1. Saw off the branch a good distance from the trunk with a cut from the underside, about one-third through the trunk.
2. Saw a cut from the upper side of the branch, slightly further out than the cut from the underside.
3. Make the final part of the pruning a short distance from the trunk, at the so-called branch collar. You see the branch collar as a more or less distinct thickening closest to the trunk. The collar helps the trunk to heal the wound faster after pruning.

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