- Little differences are likely to result from pruning at different times during the dormant seasons in deciduous fruit trees though in certain cases, earlier pruning causes earlier foliation in the spring. Late pruning during dormant periods is generally not advocated as it leads to more bleeding than earlier pruning. The exposed cut surface in certain cases may provide an excellent opportunity for infection by some pathogens. For this reason, winter pruning is usually preferred to spring pruning as bleeding will be excess in later period. Summer pruning may have a dwarfing effect or an invigorating influence. A light summer pruning may aid in colouration of fruit in certain species.
- The amount of pruning or severity of pruning which is desirable for mature trees differs in different species. The minimum amount, which is common to all, is the removal of broken or diseased branches and those which cross against each other. Diseased branches should be completely removed from the base of the trunk. In other cases annual pruning may be very light in the beginning but after some years it may become necessary to prune heavily. Otherwise, the trees may lack vegetative vigour and make very little growth. Under South Indian conditions, old non-bearing mango trees are pruned to expose the centre portion to sunlight and also crowded terminal shoots are thinned to one or two shoots during August-September. The pome fruits such as apple, plum, pears and peaches are pruned every year in December, January; Jasmines are pruned to 45 cm height from the ground level during the last week of November.
- Proper pruning enhances the beauty of almost any landscape tree and shrub, while improper pruning can ruin or greatly reduce its landscape potential. In most cases, it is better not to prune than to do it incorrectly. In nature, plants go years with little or no pruning, but man can ruin what nature has created. By using improper pruning methods healthy plants are often weakened or deformed. In nature, every plant eventually is pruned in some manner. It may be a simple matter of low branches being shaded by higher ones resulting in the formation of a collar around the base of the branch restricting the flow of moisture and nutrients. Eventually the leaves wither and die and the branch then drops off in a high wind or storm. Often, tender new branches of small plants are broken off by wild animals in their quest for food. In the long run, a plant growing naturally assumes the shape that allows it to make the best use of light in a given location and climate. All one needs to do to appreciate a plant's ability to adapt itself to a location is to walk into a wilderness and see the beauty of natural growing plants.
- Pruning, like any other skill, requires knowing what you are doing to achieve success. The old idea that anyone with a chain saw or a pruning saw can be a landscape pruner is far from the truth. More trees are killed or ruined each year from improper pruning than by pests. Remember that pruning is the removal or reduction of certain plant parts that are not required, that are no longer effective, or that are of no use to the plant. It is done to supply additional energy for the development of flowers, fruits, and limbs that remain on the plant. Pruning, which has several definitions, essentially involves removing plant parts to improve the health, landscape effect, or value of the plant. Once the objectives are determined and a few basic principles understood, pruning primarily is a matter of common sense.
- The necessity for pruning can be reduced or eliminated by selecting the proper plant for the location. Plants that might grow too large for the site, are not entirely hardy, or become unsightly with age should be used wisely and kept to a minimum in the landscape plan. Advances in plant breeding and selection in the nursery industry provide a wide assortment of plants requiring little or no pruning. However, even the most suitable landscape plants often require some pruning.
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