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| LIFE IN SOLERA | MARCH 2024 | 27 Late winter is the time to prune most plants. I usually prune in January as this month tends to be drier in Southern California. If you are interested in learning about pruning roses, you may call me for demonstration at (951) 769-1580 or visit the Cherry Valley Nursery for its annual demonstration. Pruning trees and shrubs can be the subject of a book – e.g., purpose, techniques, proper season, plant health, plant variety, tools - well beyond what can be treated in this article. Many websites offer tips and best practices on this subject. Solera yards sport many examples of proper pruning and, unfortunately, some bad pruning as well. My purpose here is to suggest 1) some fundamentals of proper pruning and 2) that homeowners who do not do their own pruning should hire reputable tree service people as there are many that are fly-by-night and have no horticultural skills. Bad pruning can result in 1) "butchered" trees that can look ugly for years, and 2) trees that will die sooner rather than later. Perhaps the single most common poor pruning practice in Solera is tree topping (Photo 1). Sooner or later most trees in our yards will require some pruning for reasons of size, aesthetics, interference, health, or danger. From a general aesthetic standpoint a fundamental result of good pruning is that the tree does not look pruned. Photo 2 makes this point. Some specific fundamentals of good pruning practices follow. 1. Cuts and shaping are commensurate with a tree's natural growth habit. 2. Follow the 30% Rule: prune no more than 30% of the canopy at one time. 3. Cut just above (outward) from a bud or branch, not below it. Cutting below a bud or stem junction results in a stub that will die back to the next bud or junction below. Stubs look unnatural, will die, and possibly continue the die back further into the tree (Photos 3 and 4). 4. Follow the 30% Rule for specific cuts: the diameter of the remaining outboard branch at a cut should be 30% or more the diameter of the branch that is below it, otherwise the scale of the tapering down is unnatural (Photo 5). 5. Improper pruning of heavy branches can result in a cut branch stripping a large chunk of bark below the cut when it falls. This can be ugly and health-threatening (Photo 6). Photo 7 shows the proper removal of a heavy branch: 1) First cut about 25% into the underside of the branch (pink arrow) to be removed near the main branch that is to remain. 2) Next cut the branch to be removed outboard of the first cut. If its weight is such that the bark begins to strip, as is the case in Photo 8, the stripping will stop at the point of the first cut. 3) The 3rd cut will be the completion of the 1st cut. By Richard Crowe Pruning Trees & Roses 2 1 5 6 7 8 3 4

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