Exploring the Benefits of Pruning

Just like your hair can grow and grow and become a wild mess on top of your head, plants are much the same. The branches, limbs, or vines can grow and grow until they spread out of control. But no worries! The experts at The Grounds Guys have the skills and know-how to tame those wild branches with strategic pruning methods.

As the old saying goes, sometimes, you've got to be cruel to be kind! Trimming the branches from your prized plants may seem cruel, but a properly pruned plant can actually stay healthier, grow thicker, produce more flowers, and bear more fruit for you. But wait! Don’t just start cutting away willy-nilly! You may actually do more harm than good.

Different plants have specific needs, including when to prune, how much to prune and what type of pruning method is best to use. But some plants need little or no pruning, and if you get shear-happy, you may be the cause of their decline or demise.

Take a look at these primary pruning methods and how they benefit your plants:

• Thinning cuts remove certain branches back to the main trunk or stem, reducing the density of a plant without reducing its height. This allows light to reach the interior of the plant, which promotes thicker growth.
• Reducing cuts are so-called because they can reduce the height of a plant by removing larger branches down to smaller, lateral branches.
• Heading cuts prune out just the growing tips of shoots, forcing new buds to grow and thickening the growth at the cuts.

The four primary reasons you should prune your plants are:

• To remove dead or diseased wood
• To train a plant to a certain size or shape
• To keep a plant healthy (by cutting out dead or diseased wood)
• To promote flowering or fru

Consider these helpful tips when pruning your plants:

• Use sharp pruning tools. Dull blades can shred branches, which looks unsightly and opens up excessive surface area to insects and diseases. Make "kind" cuts that sever stems and branches cleanly so the plant heals as quickly as possible.
• Make judicious decisions about how much to remove, so you don't stress a plant by cutting it back too much.
• Sterilize pruning tools. Unsanitary tools can spread disease organisms to the cut surfaces of plants.
• Prune plants at the right time. Give your friendly The Grounds Guys expert a call to find out the best times to prune your plants.

The Grounds Guys are pruning experts, and they can help improve your lawn’s beauty and keep your plants healthy at the same time. So, before you go outside and do a hatchet job on your plants, turn to the reliable pruning services offered by your local The Grounds Guys. Let them transform your yard from looking “so-so” to looking “spectacular”!