Horticulture Principles and Practices

FIGURE 19–3 Large branches
should be cut in stages. Cut 1 is
made to prevent tearing of the
bark; cut 2 is made to remove
the weight of the branch; cut 3 is
made just above the branch collar
(never flush to the stem) to
finish the pruning.
2 nd
Branch bark ridge
3 rd 1 st cut
Branch collar
FIGURE 19–4 (a) Pruning
cuts should be made as close to
a 90-degree angle as possible.
(b) Cut angles greater than
45 degrees create large surface
areas, slow healing, and a larger
amount of dead tissue during
the healing process.
Small surface area
for quick healing and
little drying of tip
(a) Close to a 90-degree cut
Large surface area
leading to slower
healing and more
dead tissue from
healing
(b) Greater than a 45-degree cut
574 Chapter 19 Pruning
5. The distance of the cut from a bud is important. Since all cuts die back a little,
cutting too close to a bud (or cutting at a sharp angle) might cause the dieback to
kill the nearest bud in the process (Figure 19–5).
6. The direction of cut determines the direction of the new growth from the
immediate bud. Slanted cuts are approximately parallel to the direction of the tip
of the immediate bud below. An outward slant (upper tip pointing out of the
canopy) indicates that the bud immediately below will produce an outward
growth (Figure 19–6). This direction of growth is desirable and is one of the
objectives of pruning—opening up the canopy for ventilation and light penetration.
An inward growth achieves the opposite effect. Therefore, when pruning, the
operator should select the appropriate bud above which a cut is to be made.
It should be mentioned that there may be situations in which pruning to obtain
a tight center may be preferable. If the plant has opposite buds, one of them
should be removed to leave the outward-pointing bud.