a newbie needs help.

hi there, i'm a very new garderner, my question is in general do i prune plants when they have finished flowering? there's just so much to learn. many thanks.

 

Hi 44willy and welcome to GC.

You are correct, as a general rule shrubs are pruned after flowering, it means the plant then has a long growing season to recover and so is more likely to flower the following year.

For most plants it is wise to prune lightly at any one time. If something is over-large and needs to be severely cut back, it is often a good idea to do this in stages, ie. a bit this year and a bit more next year.

Which plants are you planning to prune?

 

Hi 44Willy,


Understanding the why`s of horticulture helps you understand the when`s.


Pruning is at first glance mindboggling, but understanding why you prune tells you when to prune.


Take heart, all the members here do love to help people in your position and you have the added benefit of all our mistakes.


So like Blackthorn I ask, what is it you are pruning?

 

Generally I try to avoid pruning anything too late in the Summer - because any new growth they are encouraged to make may be softer than normal, and susceptible to the Winter.

For some things (Roses in particular) I prune lightly in the early Winter (so there is less waving about in the wind etc.), and then prune hard in the Spring; Roses tend to die back a bit where the frost gets them, so pruning too hard the first time may mean nothing is then alive come the Spring.

But its a bit case-by-case. If you've got a do-or-die pruning job to do probably wirth asking here for specifics for that particular plant / species.

 

Hi Willy welcome to the forum.

Pruning plants is a mine field but most of the time you can't go too wrong and as the guys say it all depends on what plant you want to prune.

Some are pruned when the plant has finished flowering or when it is dormat (in winter). I don't think you can go too wrong mostly cut back to a bud/ growth after all this is where your fresh growth will come from although some plants don't grow off from 'last years' old wood so as Blackthorn says 'it is wise to prune lightly at any one time'.

If all else fails in summer when you clip back some of your plants use your clippings as cuttings, a little dip in rooting powder and putting in a pot of compost or in some cases just sitting the cutting on a window cill in a glass of water does the trick and you are rewarded with extra plants for free! Hel.xxx.