Pruning
Question: Each year when I prune my walnut tree in March it "weeps" quite badly. What am I doing wrong?
Answer: A. Walnuts, as well as maples and birches, should be pruned after they have leafed out. The leaves absorb the sap running up through the tree, and there is no loss of sap from the cut ends. While the loss of moisture is not too serious for the tree, it is unsightly when it occurs.
Question: How do I prune lilac bushes. Where to lop them off, timeof year?
Answer: Prune lilac right after flowering. Prune out any dead wood at base. Prune to shape. Prune at above bud or leaf twig base on branches. Do not prune more than 1/3 of plant, preferably much less. Prune out any crossing branches.
Question: What if a rose bush is old and all the canes are thick and brownish/grey? Should I prune them way back anyways? If so, how far from the bottom? Thanks for your help.
Answer: A. I suppose that the amount of pruning you would do is dictated by how much growth is being generated by these old canes. Is the newer wood relatively healthy? Does it still produce lots of blooms? Are there no new canes being produced at the base? If the answers are yes, yes and no, then I wouldn't do much more than the 3D's, and shorten up the canes somewhat. If the bush just isn't doing anything, not much new growth, small, infrequent blooms etc. I'd be inclined to really get in there and do some serious pruning. Take out the very oldest canes entirely, cut back the others fairly hard and see what happens.
Question: I just moved into a new house, and there are quite a few clematis. I don't know how to prune them. What should I do?
Answer: A. Clematis fall into three categories-those that bloom on new wood (usually from late June on), those that bloom on old wood (from July to fall) and those that are blooming on old and new wood (in spring and again in late summer). For pruning purposes varieties that bloom on new wood can be cut back hard, to allow for production of new blooming growth. Don't do much pruning on varieties that are flowering on old wood, except to remove wood that is dead or spindly. The same is true for those types that bloom twice, only prune to shape or to remove dead branches. If you're not sure what varieties you have, wait until they bloom-the timing should be a good clue.
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