Late Winter Pruning Advice

Looking for something to do outdoors on a mild winter day? Pruning in the late winter and early spring can be very beneficial for certain plants, helping encourage new growth as the warmer weather moves in. Additionally, since many trees and shrubs are dormant, you have the benefit of trimming bare branches so you can really see what you’re cutting back.

Benefits of Pruning: Pruning is a crucial part of an effective organic lawn care routine. We offer an organic tree and shrub program that nurtures your ornamental plants with fertilizers, soil amendments, and dormant oil. But did you know cutting back trees and shrubs also offers many benefits to your plants by renewing growth, and keeping them resilient?

• Thinning out trees and shrubs allows more sunlight to reach the grass and other plants below. This increased sun exposure will help your organic lawn and garden grow better.
• Removing dead and diseased branches is part of the pruning process. This helps prevent the spread of diseases along with reducing the risk of accidents caused by weak, broken branches.
• Pruning helps to encourage regrowth as plants try to reestablish the balance between the root system and the aboveground growth.
• Likewise, many plants experience the benefit of increased flowering and fruit growth after they have been pruned.
• Another reason for pruning is to shape your trees and shrubs, giving them a cleaner, more uniform look.

Pruning Tips: It’s important that you’re confident in your pruning technique. Taking the wrong approach or over pruning may cause buds to never form and can also increase the risk of excessive growth that may lead to disease.

• Prune in mild and dry conditions.
• Use sharp tools that are appropriate for the cut you’re making—pruning shears for thin branches, loppers for thicker ones, and a saw for extra thick cuts. Use a pole trimmer for out of reach branches.
• Make cuts at an angle, at the node where branches attach to each other.
• Your first objective should be to remove dead or damaged branches.
• Next, begin thinning out your tree or shrub’s crown so more sun and air can circulate. Shape to your liking as you thin.

Plants to Prune: Not all plants benefit from pruning this time of year. Below is a table of common Atlanta trees and shrubs that can be cut back in the late winter and early spring, before new growth begins.

Make pruning a part of your Atlanta organic lawn care and get your ornamental trees and shrubs ready to flourish in the spring.