Cut too much and you'll risk nutritional deficiencies or branches that are too weak to tolerate the wind or fend off diseases or insect invasions. Over pruning and topping can permanently disfigure your trees, or even kill them. Further, a tree's foliage is important for protecting it against excessive sun exposure.
Over pruning reduces the foliage needed to make food for the tree, so in effect, it starves it. When a tree has been over pruned, you may not see much new growth during the spring. In the winter, more branches than usual will break as a result of heavy loads.
Although over pruned trees and shrubs don't usually die if some part of the canopy remains, the damage from over pruning can be extensive. Over pruning reduces the foliage that's available for making food for the rest of the plant and can allow pests and diseases access to the tree if cuts are made incorrectly.
How to Fix an Over-Pruned Tree or Shrub. While some plants need a heftier prune than others, in general, the golden rule is to trim no more than 15 to 20 percent of a tree's canopy at one time. Keep that in mind for next time.
Over-pruning any time of year. It is especially important to avoid over-pruning during the growing season, but over-pruning any time year can stress a tree, making it more susceptible to disease. It's important to remember that every pruning cut matters because every cut is a wound to the tree.
Pruning at the wrong time can send a plant into shock, stunt its growth, or cause it not to bloom that season. It can take years for a plant to recover, if it can. Heavy pruning is best done when a plant is dormant.
After Pruning Your Houseplants
If your plant is nice and healthy, it should recover from pruning and begin growing again within a few weeks. If your plant gets a little droopy for a few days, don't worry. It might be experiencing shock, but it will bounce back.
The 1/3 rule involves cutting about 1/3 of wood during any pruning activity. This moderate pruning practice is a balanced approach to thinning out shrubs to stimulate new growth. The plant loses a good amount of stems, usually on the top section, allowing more light and air to enter the inside of the plant.
Severe pruning means the cutting of branches and/or trunk of a Tree in a manner which substantially reduces the overall size of the Tree or destroys the existing symmetrical appearance, natural shape or health of the Tree and which results in the removal of main lateral branches leaving the trunk and branches of the ...
Watering is very important during the couple of weeks or more that a plant is recovering from root pruning. Right after pruning, I give the whole pot a thorough soaking. As new growth begins, I make sure to thoroughly wet all the soil at each watering.
Don't prune too late in northern regions.
In areas with cold winters, avoid pruning after the middle of August. If you prune too late, you may stimulate new growth that would not have time to grow thick, protective bark before the killing frosts of winter.
Perfect Tree Trimming Percentage
There's a rule many professionals trim by: prune only ⅓ of the good wood. Less than that won't accomplish much, and more than that can stunt its growth or worse.
The node is where leaves, buds and shoots emerge from the stem. You should always cut just above a node, as this prevents 'die back' and therefore disease. Also, by cutting above a node you can manipulate new stems, leaves or flowers to form in a desired direction, as nodes form on different sides of a stem.
The hard pruning approach involves cutting the entire plant down to around 3 to 6 inches from the ground in very early spring before any foliage is emerging. This timing will minimize stress on the plant and direct energy into the growth of new stems.
In John 15:2 (AMP), Jesus says, Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit]. Pruning is vitally important for us to grow in our walk with God.
In general, don't prune away more than ⅓ of a bush's growth during its active growing season. Cutting back more than that can shock the specimen and kill it.
After a tree is topped, it grows back rapidly in an attempt to replace its missing leaves. Leaves are needed to manufacture food for the tree. Without new leaves, the tree will die. The new branches that sprout up below the cuts will continue to grow quickly until they reach the same size it was before it was topped.
In pruning, there are three primary types of pruning cuts, thinning cuts, reduction cuts, and heading cuts, each giving different results in growth and appearance.
Pruning to remove damaged, dead or diseased parts can be done at any time of the year. Most trees and shrubs, especially those that flower on current season's new growth should be pruned in late winter or early spring before the onset of new growth.
Stressed shrubs are more susceptible to disease and pests plus, when cut back too frequently, the shrub may become too weak to fully recover.
The cut is the key to good pruning. As a rule, always cut back to a branch, twig or bud that is pointed in the direction you want the tree to grow. This method encourages controlled, healthy new growth. If you're unsure whether to remove a branch, don't cut.
Generally, plants are cut back by about one-third of their height. After pruning, apply a fertilizer to stimulate vigorous new growth. Many perennials that have finished blooming may be cut back now as well.
“Root pruning does not stimulate root branching all the way back to the trunk. Roots are often pruned before moving a tree in hopes of creating a denser root ball. However most root growth after root pruning occurs at the end of the root just behind the root pruning cut, not back toward the trunk.
When you see an entirely yellow leaf, you should remove it from your plant using a sterile cutting tool. Removing the leaf will let the plant focus its nutrients on healthy leaves. A yellow leaf has lost its chlorophyll (pigment) and it can't turn green again even after you correct the problem.