Autumn is a busy season for gardeners. Are you among them? Then one of the regular activities you should skip now. Which one?
Pruning trees and bushes is one of the (un)popular autumn jobs of all land owners. All the more shocking is the assertion of the world’s garden expert – Mike McGrath – that autumn pruning of woody plants is stupid. Why? “Pruning is supposed to promote the growth, flowering and fertility of trees. But if you do it a few weeks before winter, many trees may not recover from the intervention and go into the cold weather significantly weakened,” says the expert.
The author of the video, Botur, tells you almost everything about the cut. More on the channel YouTube.com.
Source: Youtube
Watch out for moisture
If you’ve managed to postpone major pruning until later when your trees are defoliating and dormant, that’s all you’ll gain. Of course, but even this action needs to have a number of “safety measures” so that the whole operation does not fail.
So what principles should you follow? “Choose a dry and, if possible, at least a little sunny day for pruning. In any case, don’t do it in humid weather, because this climate only increases the spread of microbes and the risk of infection,” warns the expert. According to him, it depends not only on the weather but also on the type of cut. If the operation on the tree is done “dry” and clean, it will heal much faster.
What tools to use
To get the job done better, you need the right tools. Anvil shears with a cutting capacity of up to 40 mm are best for thicker branches. You can adjust more subtle growth easily – using scissors with the Bypass system, which are more precise when cutting.
Do you feel that the cut wound is too big? Try filing it down with a pruning saw or chainsaw. Working in the garden is very physically demanding, so you will certainly appreciate any relief. Here they will provide you with battery-powered devices that are light in weight, easy to control and are almost as powerful as classic, gasoline-powered ones.
Less is more
When pruning trees, be more careful than aggressive. “It’s always better to cut a tree short than to hurt it,” says the expert. Therefore, it is better to initially only make “cosmetic modifications” and see how the wood looks after them.
According to Mike McGrath, it is advisable to remove not only excess branches, but also dead or dying ones that only burden the tree. Branches that cross or bother you during garden work should also go away. However, be careful when removing excess branches and remember that each cut is actually a wound that will need some time to recover. So work smart!
Sources: https://ceskykutil.cz, www.ceskestavby.cz
