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How To Prune Plants And When To Do It

How To Prune Plants And When To Do It

The majority of plants benefit greatly from regular pruning. Pruning keeps plants healthy and encourages new growth. However, many people struggle to know when exactly you should be pruning your plants. In this blog, we will explain how and when to prune your plants and the best tools to do this with.

  

When should I prune my plants?

There are many different varieties of plants, but they can be sorted into one of four categories when it comes to pruning.

  • The first category is flowering plants. It is best to prune these whilst they are not flowering. Generally, this period of time falls between late winter and early spring.
  • The second category is fruiting plants. Similar to flowering plants, it's best to prune these when the plant is dormant. This time window will depend on the type of fruit plant that you have.
  • The third category is evergreen plants. These should be pruned in early spring or not at all otherwise you risk cutting off new sprouting buds in your pruning.
  • The last category is perennial plants. These are plants that need to be continuously pruned and deadheaded as they remain in flower all year round.

 

Trying to understand when is the best time to prune your plants can be a difficult task, especially as pruning plants at the wrong time can often lead to fewer flowers or fruits. If you prune in the wrong season, you could encourage new growth just as the weather is harshest and chances are none of this new growth will survive.

We've created this simple graphic to show you the best times to prune different plants that you can find in your garden.

  

how and when to prune your plants

 

 

What tools should I use to prune my plants?

No matter what plants you have, the most important thing to consider is the tools that you will need for pruning. High-quality tools not only make the job of pruning plants easier, but they also help to keep your plants healthy thanks to the clean cuts they products.

The main tools required for pruning are:

Bypass Secateurs

Bypass secateurs have one blade sharpened on only one side which by-passes a curved, flat surface which holds the branch being pruned and slices it.

The Burgon & Ball Florabrite Bypass Secateurs are RHS endorsed and come with a 10 year guarantee. They are also designed to be easily spotted if misplaced in a garden environment and their handles are even reflective under torch light!

 

Burgon & Ball Florabrite Bypass Secateurs

burgon and ball florabrite bypass secateurs

 

Loppers

Loppers are basically secateurs but with much longer handles. These long handles give you extra reach to prune those higher branches that you would otherwise struggle to get to.

The Bahco Expert Telescopic Bypass Loppers provide even more reach with their telescopic handles making them the perfect tool for plants and trees of all kinds.

 

Bahco Expert Telescopic Bypass Loppers

bahco expert telescopic bypass loppers

 

Shears

Shears are like long pair of scissors and are perfect for clipping and shaping shrubs and bushes. Quality shears have a bumper between the handles to cushion the shock when the blades close.

The Bahco Super Light Hedge Shears feature extremely strong strain resistant aluminium handles and are designed for cutting thicker branches with the serrated section of their blade.

 

Bahco Super Light Hedge Shears

bahco super light hedge shears

 

Saws

Sometimes there are pruning jobs that only a saw can tackle. Folding saws are ideal for garden pruning because of their size and portability.

The Burgon & Ball Folding Pruning Saw gives you the cutting power of a bow saw in your pocket thanks to its size and portability. It is designed to work primarily on the pull stroke which makes it the perfect tool for overhead pruning work.

 

Burgon & Ball Folding Pruning Saw

burgon and ball foldable pruning saw

 

Pruning is an essential, ongoing task so having the best tools for the job makes pruning much more of an enjoyable task.

You can find our full range of pruning and gardening tools here

Click below to read some more of our useful gardening articles - 

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