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pollarding

Pollarding is a pruning system in which the upper branches of a tree are removed, promoting a dense head of foliage and branches.

Timely Tasks: Prune Spring-Blooming Shrubs

June 8, 2020

Mapleleaf Viburnum_Dan Mullen_CC BY-NC-NC 2.0_Flickr
Mapleleaf viburnum

Our spring-blooming shrubs have been glorious this year—flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa), Forsythia, Fothergilla, some hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.), mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), mock orange (Philadelphus x virginalis), azaleas and rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp.), lilacs (Syringa vulgaris), many Viburnum species, and Weigela are in this category. As their blooms start to fade, plan now to prune these shrubs for next year’s bloom!

Flame Azalea
Flame Azalea
Rosebay Rhododendron_Jim Dollar_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr
Rosebay rhododendron

Pruning time matters
Look at your shrubs while the blooms are fading to decide where you need to prune. If your shrubs didn’t look glorious this year—or you had no blooms at all—pruning might be the culprit! Timing is critical, especially for pruning spring-blooming shrubs that develop their flower buds during the summer and fall of the previous year. This is often called “blooming on old wood.”
By mid-June, spring-blooming flowers will likely be gone, and your deadline is approaching to prune. Plan to finish pruning these shrubs soon after flowering—no later than the 4th of July. Pruning in late summer, fall, winter, or early spring will remove the buds getting ready for next year’s show!

Oakleaf_Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen'_Plant Image Library_CC BY-SA 2.0_Flickr
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snow Queen.’ Oakleaf Hydrangeas bloom on old wood; if they need pruning, prune right after the blooms fade.

How to prune
The North Carolina State University Extension has recently updated their series of publications on pruning (see links, below). “Before the Cut” introduces you to information on how to prune to open up the top of the plant to permit light and air to reach the interior, to promote new plant growth, maintain plant size, encourage flowering, remove diseased or dead limbs, and help control insect and disease problems.
When thinking about pruning, consider the “one-third” rules: remove about one-third of the oldest wood at the ground level and cut back one-third of the younger, newer canes about one-third of their height per season.
Spring-flowering shrubs.
The section of “Before the Cut” on “Plants that Flower on Year-Old Growth” is most relevant to pruning spring-flowering shrubs. The publication on “Pruning Specific Plants” provides more details on each individual shrub species.

Everything else!
North Carolina State Extension: “General Pruning Techniques,” which provides information on timing of pruning, pruning methods, maintaining shrubs, and specialty pruning.

Pruning woody ornamental shrubs_heading cuts_NCSU Extension
Heading cuts: A) shrub shoots headed back to same height; B) shrub shoots headed back to different heights.

Pruning methods discussed include size reduction:
• Heading back, the removal of one-year-old shoots recommended for plants that have outgrown their allotted space, and
• Reduction cuts used to train trees and shrubs and to control the direction of growth, among other purposes.

There is extensive information on cutting both small and large branches—with details about the proper placement of cuts, the guidance to “not leave a stub” following pruning, and the admonition to “never apply wound paint or tar” to the cut.
The section on maintaining shrubs provides guidance on the management of growth in deciduous, broadleaved evergreens, and needled evergreens, including the appropriate time of year to prune each in order to achieve maximum benefit in your landscape is provided.
The section on specialty pruning describes a number of techniques not commonly seen in most home landscapes. These include espalier, pleaching, pollarding, and topiary.
Article written by Extension Master Gardener Volunteers.
For more information:
Before the cut:https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/before-the-cut
How to prune specific plants: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/how-to-prune-specific-plants
General Pruning Techniques: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/general-pruning-techniques

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Categories General Gardening Tags espalier, pollarding, pruning, Spring flowering shrubs, spring pruning, topiary

Fine pruning of deciduous trees. And now’s the time…

January 28, 2015

Lopping, topping, pollarding, and coppicing are all forms of pruning that have one thing in common: The primary focus is on a short range change in the tree or shrub’s form.

Topping

On a shrub this is shearing, cutting all the branches to the same height, as in a hedge. On a tree though, it’s hard to identify any situation that wouldn’t be better served by fine pruning, like removing only the branches that are blocking a view.

Fine Pruning the cuts are made one at a time, each cut considering the long and short-range dendrological effects on the plant, the impact on the landscape, and on the gardener’s interests. Fine pruning is particularly important during the early development of any woody plant.

Fine Pruning

 

It’s wise to tackle the big problems first. In doing so you may also be eliminating multiple smaller ones.

So here we’d start with the multiple leaders or vertical branches that are crowding the interior in the diagram on the left. Off with them! Same with “water sprouts” on the trunk or branches and suckers that spring up at the base. Taking them off while they’re small can save major pruning later.

We’d look for branches that are crossing or rubbing, not only now, but those that seem to be heading for trouble in the future. Off, or cut back to a side branch headed in right direction. Broken branches provide entry points for disease and insects. Off with them too.

There’s one other possible target that I see in the unpruned tree on the left. Ground clearance. I would remove the lowest branch on the right to establish a more symmetrical appearance. This could also be important in a parking lot or to provide for mower access to the turf below. DON’T leave a stub. If the branch collar is left intact after pruning, the wound will seal more effectively and stem tissue probably will not decay.

Coppicing is an English term for a traditional method of woodland management which takes advantage of the fact that many trees make new growth from the stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to near ground level. In subsequent growth years, many new shoots will emerge. After a number of years the coppiced tree, or stool, is ready to be harvested, and the cycle begins again.

Pollarding is a pruning system in which the upper branches of a tree are removed, promoting a dense head of foliage and branches. It has been common in Europe since medieval times and is practiced today in urban areas worldwide, primarily to maintain trees at a predetermined height.[1]

Traditionally, trees were pollarded for one of two reasons: for fodder to feed livestock, for fire and or perhaps as wattling to be used as a fence.

  • To remove large branches, three or four cuts will be necessary to avoid tearing the bark. Make the first cut on the underside of the branch about 18 inches from the trunk. Undercut one-third to one-half way through the branch. Make the second cut an inch further out on the branch; cut until the branch breaks free.
  • Before making the final cut severing a branch from the main stem, identify the branch collar. The branch collar grows from the stem tissue around the base of the branch. Make pruning cuts so that only branch tissue (wood on the branch side of the collar) is removed. Be careful to prune just beyond the branch collar, but
  • The third cut may be made by cutting down through the branch, severing it. If, during removal, there is a possibility of tearing the bark on the branch underside, make an undercut first and then saw through the branch.

What time of year do we want to do this fine pruning? Now! In late winter when the trees are fully dormant, but before they break dormancy. With all the leaves off, you can better see what needs to be done.

NOTE: Pruning fruit trees, shrubs or vines have some different objectives though many of the same considerations and techniques do apply.

Article written by Glenn Palmer, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

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Categories Trees Tags coppicing, deciduous trees, fine pruning, lopping, pollarding, pruning, topping, winter garden chores

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