Diary of a Gardener Summer Pruning
We are in the thick of the dog days of summer and have been since May. We still have at least 2 more months of heat. Thankfully, this summer there has been consistent rains compared to the drought we had last summer. My plants are lush, and the weeds are too. Rainwater is so wonderful for our plants. Rainwater has nutrients that help the plants grow, vs hand watering that simply hydrates. But with rain, comes growth and a lot of it this summer. I feel like I am cutting, trimming, and weeding constantly. I have a vine growing on the front arbor that if left alone would completely cover the walk area underneath. Weekly, I am cutting it back. Just last weekend I finally removed a few plants I have been battling for years. I cut them and within weeks they were back, overpowering everything around them. They have no defined shape and cannot be “trained” to grow in a specific pattern. That is great if you have room, but my garden does not. So, I went out with the Sawzall and cut it down.
That prompted me to keep cutting everything I deemed necessary. Roses, trees, shrubs, etc. all got their summer haircuts. This is a wonderful time to do that. Summer trimming is like the trimming you would do in spring after threat of the last frost. For us in zone 10a, that is around the first two weeks of February. However, the summer trim, which happens around August, should only be about one-third of a cut back. Pruning too harsh while it is hot and humid could put the plants into shock when the temperatures are not cool enough at night for them to recovery. This trimming serves a few purposes.
1. Hurricane preparation for trees and shrubs that are of danger to your home. Cutting back certain tall plants can help them not to break if there are to be high winds.
2. Plants that are outgrowing their space, touching the house, have lost their shape, crowding other plants, and have wild limbs. You want the plants to be ready for the cooler temperatures.
3. If you have roses, they need to be pruned back about one-third so they do not get large, but also can be ready for their fall flush of blooms.
4. Remove anything dead, dying, and diseased.
Always remember to clean your tools often to prevent the spread of disease and pests. I keep a bottle of straight isopropyl alcohol, a minimum of 70%. You can also use bleach water, but I do not want bleach on my clothes or around my plants. I put the alcohol in a spray bottle and sprayed my tools off.
Summer pruning will help give your garden a tidier look and consistent growth as the summer continues. For all the wonderful things pruning does for our plants and gardens, it also has a downside. Now the plants have an open wound that can be a pathway for disease and pests. Practice correct pruning techniques, especially when it comes to trees and large woody shrubs.
Lastly, when it comes to pruning your palms, if someone offers to give them a hurricane cut, run! Hurricane cuts for palms are completely unnecessary and harmful to the palm. Palms should always (even during hurricane season) have a 180-degree canopy. Meaning their fronds should never be cut back further than the 9:00 and 3:00 positions. Some can be cut between the 10:00 and 2:00 positions, but that is the most extreme. When palms are cut back to look like paint brushes, that is harmful to the plant. Also, research shows us that in a hurricane those palms are not as strong and do not withstand the winds vs full canopy palms.
When hiring someone to cut your trees, it is best to always hire an arborist or someone who is trusted and follows local municipalities’ rules. Hiring just anyone could be detrimental to the health of your trees.
Hurricane season is heating up and the temperatures are not cooling down anytime soon. If pruning is something you cannot do yourself, then hire a trusted gardener or landscaper to help. It is better to not to wait until a hurricane is headed towards us. If you are looking for someone to help, please contact me. Either I or people who work with me can help you get trimmed up. I can also give you the names of tree trimmers in our local area I trust. Happy pruning.
