You Shouldn't be Scared of Pruning!

There's an art to tending to our green companions that goes beyond watering and fertilizing.

Pruning plays a vital role in our leafy friends' overall health and growth.

Whether you're an experienced gardener or just starting out, understanding why pruning is important can make a world of difference. Hopefully, in reading this you'll be a little less worried about chopping up your plants!

Encourage Healthy Growth

Pruning is like a manicure for plants. By removing dead, diseased, or damaged branches, we allow the plant to redirect and concentrate its energy towards healthy parts of the plant and develop new roots and shoots. This process stimulates dormant buds and encourages a healthier, more vigorous plant overall.

Enhance Plant Appearance

Trimming back overgrown or unruly branches can restore a plant's natural shape and beauty. This is particularly important for ornamental plants and bushes, as it helps maintain their intended form and aesthetics, creating a visually appealing garden space. You don't need to aspire for Bonsai levels of pruning, just take off the odd brown-looking leaves or gangly parts you're not keen on, your eyes and your plant may thank you.

Image Credit: "7 Unconventional Knowledge about Guide to Pruning and Trimming Trees that you can’t Learn from Books" by Trees Soldiers: https://medium.com/@treesoldiers2022/7-unconventional-knowledge-about-guide-to-pruning-and-trimming-trees-that-you-cant-learn-from-3ea67d6f43ad

Control Plant Size

Some plants have a natural tendency to proliferate and become unruly, we're looking at you, pothos! Pruning helps control the size of the plant, preventing it from outgrowing its designated space and causing potential harm to neighbouring plants; for example, if one of your plants is infested with mealy bugs or spider mites and is growing into another plant, those pests could transfer and infect that plant.

Too much foliage can hamper light penetration and may cause the deeper parts of the plant to struggle if not adequately lit.

Encourage Flower and Fruit Production

For flowering and fruit-bearing plants, pruning can significantly impact their productivity. Removing spent blooms and excess growth redirects the plant's energy towards producing more flowers or fruits, resulting in a more bountiful and colourful harvest.

The same happens in reverse, you may opt to cut off flowers and buds to help revitalise a struggling plant, sacrificing the aesthetic for overall health of the specimen.

Image credit: Nata Zhekova / Getty Images

Rejuvenate Older Plants

As plants age, their growth may decline and become leggy. Pruning encourages the plant to rejuvenate older parts of the plant. This will stimulate new growth and help extend the life of the plant. In some plants, making a small shallow incision in the lower parts of the plant will encourage the plant to grow new shoots from it.

Shaping and Training

Pruning is an invaluable technique for shaping and training plants into desired forms

It's more than just a chore; it's a fundamental aspect of keeping plants. By understanding the importance of this simple yet important practice, we can nurture our plants to reach their full potential, creating a beautiful and thriving garden space to enjoy for years to come.

So, go grab your pruners and get pruning!