Home A mid-summer day’s pruning can rejuvenate some trees and shrubs
Local News

A mid-summer day’s pruning can rejuvenate some trees and shrubs

Contributors

va farm bureauWhile some gardeners are afraid to prune trees or shrubs during the summer, it sometimes is the best time to make those cuts.

That’s the case with pear and other fruit trees, “because there isn’t any excessive growth, since it is mid-season,” said horticulturalist Mark Viette. “When there isn’t a lot of excess growth, it is easier to prune.”

Viette and his family operate the Andre Viette Farm & Nursery in Augusta County, and he appears on a home gardening and landscaping segment on Real Virginia, a weekly television program produced by Virginia Farm Bureau.

He recommended walking through the garden and assessing all the trees or shrubs before getting out the clippers. And he shared the example of a viburnum in his yard that a persistent woodpecker had damaged.

“There was a lot of damage, but it still had a strong trunk,” he said. “I looked at the tree and decided what I wanted to do, which was to prune the tree back hard and rejuvenate it instead of replacing it. I cut it almost to the ground but left a lot of nice, new growths.”

Viette recommended rejuvenating trees and shrubs by pruning once every five to seven years to encourage new growth.

“Make sure when you prune that you do it right the first time, because once you make a cut, you can’t do it over,” he said.

“Cut it back, and then let it re-grow,” he said. “It may take up to three years for the tree to grow big again.”

Check print and online resources to find the optimal time to prune specific trees and shrubs, Viette said, and remember to wear protective eyewear when pruning. “By cutting the dead branches and pruning the trees back, you’ll make the original tree much happier,” he said. “Five years from now the tree will look great, so don’t be afraid of mid-summer pruning.”

Contributors

Contributors

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple PodcastsSpotifyPandora and YouTube.

Latest News

vcu
Virginia News

VCU receives $9M grant to establish Cancer Control Equity Research Center

economy
Virginia News

Wythe County: Duchess Dairy Products expanding, adding line for churned butter

Duchess Dairy Products will invest $895,000 to expand its dairy processing operations in Wythe County, with plans to add a production line of churned butter, in addition to its current line of premium bottled milk. 

donald trump healthcare
Politics, U.S. News

Andrew Moss: Protect Medicaid!

Catastrophic cuts are in the offing for Medicaid, the nation’s largest single source of health coverage, serving primarily low-income Americans. But catastrophe isn’t inevitable. 

Israel
Politics

The fall of the Assad regime: The rebels’ prospect for success or failure

prescription drug bottle
U.S. News

McKinsey to pay $650M to resolve investigation into advice it gave to Purdue Pharma

police court law
U.S. News

Texas man pleads guilty to organizing, hosting ‘major dogfighting event’

drones
U.S. News

What’s up with the drones? Mysterious flying objects spark public frenzy