How To Prune Bramble Fruits
Use a cane hook or a heavy knife to remove all but three to five of the strongest, best-placed ones by making a clean cut at the stump. It is a good idea to spray these cuts, if possible, with tree-wound dressing. If the new growth is overly vigorous, top it at a convenient picking height. If not, tie to prevent wind whipping over winter. Early next spring as buds begin to swell, cut back to picking height; strong side shoots will break, and these will bear fruit.
If your plants are overbearing, you should leave the fruit-bearing canes until the end of summer to encourage that choice early-fall crop of berries. This makes tending the brambles over summer somewhat difficult, because you have to work around the old canes while developing the new ones.
Blueberries: Prune these so there is about the same amount of well-spaced one, two, and three-year-old wood, nothing older. This year's growth bears no fruit. Second-year branches bear the main crop, third-year branches also bear very well, but are becoming too woody. Older wood will fruit, but when old wood is present, not much vigorous new growth breaks and the plants tend to deteriorate.
Grapes: Consult your County Extension Agent for specialized instructions that match local conditions. Generally speaking, the standard grapevines are trellis-grown with a main trunk and two or four permanent lateral arms that produce carefully spaced and limited year-old
fruiting branches. The Southern-type grapes, muscadines and scuppernongs, grow rangier.
They have a lot more vine and longer year-old fruiting canes. Vinifera (European wine grapes) vines are pruned to a stump, from which come several fruiting canes in the spring – possible
as these fruit on the current year's wood. All grapes are pruned in late winter when the plants are at maximum dormancy. Avoid summer pruning as much as possible. A spring-pruned grape may bleed to death.
Roses: In spring, cut hybrid teas, grandifloras, floribundas and polyanthas back to healthy, undiscolored wood with sound pith. This may mean cutting almost to the graft union (be careful not to cut below it) but keep as much healthy wood as possible. Retain three to five sturdy well-spaced canes and remove spindly, crowded or injured ones. If side branches are present, save only those growing toward the outside of the plant, and shorten these to two or three strong buds. Until midsummer, pick your roses with short stems, and when you cut a spent flower or take blooms for the house, cut to the uppermost leaf with five leaflets that points toward the outside of the bush. This retains the maximum number of blossom-producing buds and keeps the plant open in the center.
In the fall, before putting the roses to bed for the winter, pull the canes loosely together and tie them with a piece of soft cord; if you live in a very windy area, reduce the canes to about 30 inches after the leaves are dried by repeated frosts. Fall pruning is touchy, as it may stimulate growth during winter.
Treat shrub roses as you would any flowering bush. Each winter consider the removal of one or two of the oldest, woodiest canes in the center of the clump and with a sharp spade remove crowded or weak new shoots. During summer reach in with the clippers to nip back new basal shoots to two or three leaves.
Garden Climbers: Honeysuckle, wisteria, trumpet vine and the like all need attention from time to time. Do not wait until the plant is a hopeless tangle. While it is young, train into a neat, well-spaced pattern. Then, every year or two, during the plant's dormant period, prune out twiggy growth, overcrowded shoots and dead wood. During the growing season immediately clip off any tendril that pulls away from the support or hangs downward.
Clematis are a special case. Some bloom best on new wood, some on older wood and some on both. In late winter it is advisable to prune out some of the tangle to achieve a neat appearing plant. After new growth is well along in early spring, prune out any dead or weak wood. As flowers fade during summer, nip off overly vigorous or badly placed tendrils. You may not have the largest flowers possible using this method but you have a large, vigorously blooming specimen.
Related Tags: gardening, antiques
Derek Pliers is a writer for www.antique-collectible.net. Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- Decorative Garden Fence Materials
A decorative garden fence is more than just a boundary, it can provide protection for your precious - If You Like Gardening Orreally Would Like To Raise Your Own Vegetables, Gardening Organically Is A Useful Method Safe For Your Family And The Environment
Natural gardening is a key part of sustainability for our Earth and for ourselves. Gardentoad needs - Fresh Herb Gardening Is A Sure Winner For Delicious Meals
Fresh herb gardening is a marvelous way to spice up your cooking bringing a bouquet of tang to your - Contemporary Planters For Outdoor Dining Spaces
Restaurants come in different styles and dining themes: Mexican, Italian, Japanese, Classical, Conte - Where Do You Put Your Greenhouse?
Sighting and orientation are two of the most important decisions you need to make before you pour th - How To Use Orchid Lights
If you are planting orchids indoors, then lights is necessary when there is less light during the se - Experts At Diy Matters Warn Gardeners To Protect Their Plants From Cold Weather
For avid gardeners, the looming cold weather can mean tough times ahead.So, as the new season approa - Have You Noticed These 3 Warning Signs Of An Ineffective Compost Pile?
When it comes to composting, I tend to believe there's a bit of an art to it. Yes, there's plenty of - Flowers May Be One of Nature's Greatest Gifts
The world is changing. Everywhere you look things are more modernized. Every year there is a new typ - Wormery Inventors Expand With New Warehousing Space
(September 30th 2010) Rural Devon based Original Organics Ltd, inventors of the Wormery, grew their
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Pondless Waterfalls: Why Pondless?
Who built the first pondless waterfall? If I had to venture a guess, God did. What exactly is a po - Pondless Waterfalls: Concrete Vs. Pond Liner
The get-rich-quick factor in the pond liner industry has forced up the price of pond liner kits to e - Ponds & Waterfalls: Layout & Excavation
First of all: know what you want. If you need some ideas, visit the library or your local book stor - Koi Pond or Pondless Waterfall: Where Do I Begin?
1.) Have you thought about A Water Feature?-- Is it true that a water feature will add equity to my - Koi Pond: Finding a Contractor - 18 Important Things to Know
Because there is such a wide range of information to be learned on this topic of koi pond and waterf - Koi Pond: Which Pump to Use
When I started in the waterfall and pond design & construction business in January of 1982, I was as - Why You Should Settle for A Frog Fountain
The natural habitat of a frog is usually next to some pond or anywhere there is usually a good suppl - Get Your Garden Cooking With Friable Soil
Oh sure, fried green tomatoes are ok; but I'll take an extra helping of friable soil any day! This - Vegetable Gardening - A Rewarding Hobby
More and more people are taking up vegetable gardening as it is gaining popularity. Vegetable garden - When Miniaturizing Your Bonsai Tree
When miniaturizing the bonsai tree, it is important that know how to prune your tree. The major part