Pruning at Planting Time

Anytime you move a plant - whether it's to a new place in your yard for an old plant or a new plant from a container into the preferred spot in your landscape - you cause some trauma to the plant. Fortunately, minimizing this trauma does not require extensive work at this time; just some care when planting.

In addition to proper soil preparation for the new plant, it is a good idea to prune when you plant. Many people don't realize the need for pruning at planting time. It's simple, it's easy, and it will get your plant off to a much healthier start.

When a plant is dug from the field, or even container grown, and is transported from grower to landscaper or garden store and then to your yard, some root loss during handling is inevitable. Damage to the branches may also occur as well as root breakage and occasional minimal drying out of the root ball.

When the plant was growing at its original site, it was balanced. The root size was proportional to the stem tissue and leaf number and size. After the plant has been transported, some trauma has occurred and the plant is no longer balanced. Our goal is to do what little is necessary to put the plant back in balance. Although this is an over-simplification of the plant's needs, it demonstrates the reasons behind removing a portion of your new plant, which may make you uncomfortable, but shouldn't.

Many years ago there was an old adage that when you planted, you should simply cut off a third to one-half of the plant's growth. Research has proven that this is absolutely too drastic and actually reduces the plant's ability to recover. In addition, the tendency was to simply cut the ends of the branches, which has also proved to be wrong. Despite these specific criticisms, the idea behind the procedure was sound.

As far as the total amount of plant top-tissue removal, you should be looking at about the maximum of 10-15 percent of the plant's foliage. Severe, but unintentional damage of some kind may call for as much as 20 percent, but certainly no more reduction than that.

Remember, the leaves must grow and make food for the roots to use during recovery and establishment in the new site. Hacking away indiscriminately will defeat the purpose of making the plant healthier and better balanced.

Realize that there are no "automatic" directions to this part of the procedure of getting a plant acclimated after transplant. We must remove tissue carefully. Start by carefully examining your new plant. Take out branches that are damaged, crossed, and those that may be too closely spaced for future expansion in diameter. For example, look at the branches remaining and carefully check the direction of growth. If two are headed north, one immediately above the other, for example, determine which branch is the greatest asset to the future of the plant by virtue of placement or size, and take out the extra one. Cut the branch off back to the branch-bark collar of the trunk.

Do this selectively, all around the trunk or stem, leaving evenly spaced, strong branches, some pointing to each compass point, with ample space both above and below. This technique allows further growth for years to come without branches pinching each other. We are, in fact, thinning the plant and spacing the branches for future growth, as well as balancing the plant.

By completing these steps, we have removed troublesome branches, proportioned the plant to reduce wind resistance, and allow for quicker morning drying, and left enough foliage to produce food to get the plant off to a healthy start. It should now prosper in its new home.