While most people think that pruning is a typical task for winter. Pruning your trees and shrubs in the summer provides a number of advantages. Here are six reasons to prune in the summer.
1. Summer pruning helps to slow down growth
Pruning reduces the total leaf surface, which reduces the amount of food produced and sent to the roots.The reduction of the leaf surface (Pruning) during summer slows the growth of a tree or branch.
2. Restore the shape and structure of your trees and shrubs
Pruning in summer is particularly advantageous for restoring the structure and shape of your plants. You can correct issues that have developed as a result of over-pruning or bad pruning, during the summer. Summer pruning will initiate the process of restoring the plants' natural shape, so you must carefully assess the trees' form and regrowth patterns. This will help prevent future problems. The removal of dead, damaged, and afflicted limbs as well as any limb that has the potential to harm or stress the plant is important.
3. Asses the vigor and health of your plants
It is simpler to inspect the plant's canopy in summer to determine whether it is healthy and strong. When you cut off excessive new growth, you can prevent winter or fall storms from damaging the plant.
4. Reduce pests and diseases in your plants
Deficient branches can be spotted and discarded. This will help you keep your plant healthy. Pruning can lower the risk of plant disease if done correctly. You can thin branches to enhance the flow of air and light throughout the canopy. You can accomplish this more easily when the plants are in leaf, and you can see how much material to remove. Of course keeping your plants healthy is not just pruning but also the use of the right pest & disease control.
5. Redirect branches and remove aggressive shoots
Shoot removal and branching management are advisable pruning activities during summer. You can also redirect or cut down excessive branches that are invading other outdoor plants. Pruning is normally required to reduce excessively long branches on some plants. Fruit trees may be encouraged by removing excessive growth on young branches.
6. Encourage your fruit trees by pruning them in summer
Fruit trees may be encouraged by pruning to improve light penetration in the summer. Pruning young fruit trees and soft fruit bushes for example, will help them to develop more robust and hardy branches, which will support healthy fruit in the future.
What not to do while pruning in Summer
While with these tips you know what you can do while pruning in summer, there are also some things you should most definitely not do. It is unwise to prune aggressively in summer. Major structural pruning should wait until the plant is dormant in winter. Pruning improperly will strain the plant. You might inadvertently cut off important buds. In most situations, you should avoid chopping, shearing, or hedging trees and shrubs in summer. This creates rapid regrowth that might destroy the natural form and shape of the plant.
