March
2024
PICKAWAY TO GARDEN
Prune
By Paul Hang
Not
your grandma’s breakfast. One definition of prune is a dried plum. It can also mean
a disagreeable person, usually old and wrinkled. Let’s not forget that prunes,
though old and wrinkled, are sweeter than a plum, are nutrient rich and have
laxative properties. Another definition is a verb and means to dock, trim,
clip, crop, cutback, weed out, lop and snip out all the parts you do not need.
It is this last meaning I plan to address. Not pruning eyebrows, grocery lists
or portfolios but plants.
March
is a good time to prune plants, while they are still dormant. February may be
better given our warming climate. Pruning is kind of like changing your
underwear regularly: you don’t have to do it, but if you do you, and everyone
else, will be pleased with the result. First cut out the 3 D’s, Dead, Damaged,
Diseased. Cut out crossing and rubbing branches. Prune a flowering shrub after
it blooms (if you want to see the flowers).
Overgrown
deciduous flowering shrubs can be improved by rejuvenation pruning where you
cut all the stems down to the ground or renovation pruning where each year you
remove one third of the stems (pick the oldest) to the ground. Some old timers
say the best time to prune is when your tools are sharp.
Pruning
trees can be dangerous. If it is a large tree better leave it to the
professionals. A professional will not “top” a tree. Try to find a certified
arborist. When cutting off a limb be careful not to allow the bark to be
stripped down the trunk. Use the “three cut method” which starts with an
undercut about a foot away from the trunk. Another rule of pruning is, No
stubs! Cut back to the next branch and don’t cut into the branch collar. Apple
trees and other fruit trees require special techniques. A properly pruned apple
tree will look “ugly.” However, just because an apple tree is ugly doesn’t mean
it was properly pruned.
Another
common pruning puzzle is when to prune hydrangea bushes. This is important; if
you cut off the dormant buds you may get fewer blooms or none at all. If you
know what species your bush is it is easy. If you are like me you forget and
probably didn’t write it down or, you can’t find where you wrote it down.
Hydrangea pruning is based on the species or by whether it blooms on “old wood”
or “new wood”. The popular hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’ blooms on old wood and
new wood. It can be pruned at any time. If you cut off dormant buds you have
cut off future blooms.
A
simpler way to determine when to prune hydrangeas is using the color and shape
of the blooms. If your hydrangea has flower heads that are big and round and in
shades of pink or blue it is a mophead or big leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea
macrophylla). These should be cut back in the mid spring after the danger of frost
has past. They flower on “old wood”. Follow each brown stick down to the first
new green bud and cut the stick off just above that new growth. It could be at
the tip or near the bottom. Also in this category are the lacecap hydrangeas
(Hydrangea serrate and Hydrangea aspera). These have lace-like flowers in
shades of pink or blue.
If
your hydrangea flowers look like big round balls of white or lime green
(occasionally pink) they are smooth hydrangeas (Hydrangea aborescens). These are
your grandma’s ‘Annabelle’ and ‘Incrediball’. The best time to cut these back
is late winter or early spring (some do it in the fall). Cut it back to between
one quarter and one half of its total height (some gardeners cut way back to
the ground. These flower on “new wood”.
If
your hydrangea has cone-shaped blooms that are white, pink or deep pink you
have a panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata). Varieties include ‘Limelight”
‘Bobo’ ‘Tardiva’. These plants bloom on new wood. The time to cut these back is
in the early spring just before growth occurs about the time of the last spring
frost. Cut the plant back by a third or not at all. If the plant is overgrown
you can cut back all the way to the ground to rejuvenate it. Do not cut back in
late spring or early summer after the buds are set.
If
your hydrangea has oak-shaped leaves with large white cone- shaped blooms that
turn reddish in the fall, it is an oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia).
Prune lightly in the summer after they have bloomed or not at all. See savvygardening.com/when
–to-cut-back-hydrangeas/
Perennials
should be pruned after temperatures have consistently reached 50 degrees to
allow overwintering insects and bugs to emerge. Annuals should deadheaded,
cutting off spent blooms to encourage re-blooming.
Roses,
clematis vines, grape vines, raspberries and blueberries also need pruning. To
do it right check out ohioline.osu.edu or other websites ending in edu or other
reputable sources. As usual, I had to
prune this article to make it shorter, but hopefully sweeter.
Things to do in the
garden:
Begin
fertilizing houseplants with a weak solution. Now is a good time to propagate
houseplants.
Have
your soil tested. Materials and directions are normally available at the OSU
Extension Office.The last average frost date here in zone 6B is April 23rd.
That means there is a 50/50 chance of frost on that date. A number of seeds
should be started this month. Check your seed packet for the number of days to
harvest and count back to the date you want to plant your seeds or set out your
plants. A word to the wise, don’t set out your plants too early unless you are
prepared to protect them should the odds work against you.
Rake
the lawn to remove the twigs, leaves, and other winter detritus. Dig out those
biennial weeds before they get established. Now is a good time to plant evergreen
and other trees and shrubs and bare root roses. The earlier you transplant
perennials the better they will do. When is the soil ready to be worked? Soil
that sticks to your spade is too wet to work and will be compacted. Make a ball
of soil and drop it. If it crumbles it is ready to work.
Before
those buds break, spray fruit trees with dormant oil. Read the directions. Prune
damaged, diseased, and dead limbs. Also, prune those limbs that grow inward,
suckers and water sprouts. Do not remove more than a third of the tree. Prune
deciduous trees and shrubs that bloom in the summer. Prune spring flowering
trees and shrubs after they bloom. Prune raspberry canes and grapevines and
fall flowering clematis.
If
you cut back perennials and ornamental grasses (tying up the grasses before
cutting them back to about six inches saves a lot of clean up), don’t throw
them in the trash or onto the compost pile. Store them until we have a few warm
days (temps above 50 F) to give overwintering insects a chance to emerge. Pull
back mulch from around perennials on warm days but be prepared to cover them
back up if a hard freeze threatens.
Late
March and April is the time to apply a pre-emergent to the lawn if you want to
prevent crabgrass. The best indicator for this is the first bloom of Callery
Pear. But be forewarned, pre-emergents prevent seeds from sprouting. Apply pre-emergent
on a calm day. There are now selective pre-emergents that do not affect grass seed.
If you plan to seed any parts of your lawn, don’t apply a non-selective to
those areas. This warning also applies to areas where you plan to plant vegetables
and flowers by directly seeding in the soil. A light fertilization of the lawn
is all you’ll need.
Go
to weather.cfaes.osu.edu/gdd for phenology information on when plants flower
and insects emerge.
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