Growing a Greener World Episode 1107: Learning to Prune Like a Pro, In Your Own Home Landscape

[@TheSamba37]

Another great educational video. Thank you.

[@joelampl6003]

Wonderful! Just what we strive for. Thanks for the confirmation!

[@brookesusanne8390]

Great information! Thank you!

[@MsMariaSierra]

Great video!!! So happy to see you again Joe! Stay well.

[@joelampl6003]

Thank you, Maria!

[@popeye583]

Thank you!

[@leticiamoulinet9283]

That is great I learning a lot. Tanks.

[@maramorrison3144]

Thanks, Joe for this much needed video. It answered a lot of my questions and gave me the confidence to do some needed pruning.

[@joelampl6003]

Thanks, Mara! So glad this was helpful.

[@hannahliu7790]

Love the show! Very informative!! Thank you!

[@charliezicolillo]

Great episode Joe.I agree about pruning tomatoplants.I give the branches away to other gardeners in the communitygarden.I tell them take a stick or anything with a long handle.Water the hole.put the branch in and just watch.You will have a new tomatoplant.

[@joelampl6003]

Hey, Charlie! Thanks, and good to see you here.\

[@LindaSJones-wg2ns]

I live on the Texas gulf coast and we took a direct hit from hurricane Harvey. The sustained winds of 200 miles per hour, for hours topped a lot of my live oak trees, I have noticed that in the last 2 to 3 years after the storm, that many of my trees have died. We have also had 2 years of drought. When they were hauling off debris, they took 20 big truckload's of just Live oak trees just from my small 2.5 acres, and I have not even got to the back half of the property yet. So I pretty sure that the topping of them and then the drought is what killed them. Thanks for the info.

[@joelampl6003]

So sorry to hear this, Linda! That is a lot of trees coming off your property. Mother Nature sure can be tough sometimes! I hope your recovery to your property comes quickly and you get some relief from it all.

[@Starlight22215]

That was so helpful, thank you.

[@ninastone9054]

The episode is didnt know I needed. Two thumbs up

[@joelampl6003]

Nice! Thank you Nina!

[@milkweed7678]

Great video! I have been learning about pruning fruit trees over the past few years. This info seems to be about the same ideas, I think. Thanks!!

[@joelampl6003]

Glad to hear this. Thanks for the good words!

[@raymondkyruana118]

This is really helpful thank you!!!

[@TaylorAnne]

I listen to joes podcast while I garden and watch his gardening videos while I’m not lol just upgraded to a pair of corona pruners so this video is perfect timing 👍👍

[@redstamp4185]

I didn't know this and have been pruning my trees for years. I'm glad to know the rules and see how it will improve the health of my plants. I'm glad I was a timid pruner and nerver just whacked off the tops. That is so ugly and I see it done to Crepe Myrtles here in TX all the time. So sad. Thanks for the great info.

[@diannamalta695]

Great episode and a good tutorial for those who are mystified by pruning. I have a pruning book that I've referred to over the years, and wish I could get every local landscaping company to train its workers to eliminate "meatballed" shrubs! It's a pet peave of mine, and I've actually stopped to talk to some of my neighbors about it. I lost the battle with the contractor the HOA hired to maintain the camellias, lorapetalum and cleyera at the SD entrance. Can we start a Public Service Announcement showing how topping trees (and esp. crape myrtles) and pruning flowering shrubs into sculptures is such a BAD idea? LOL

[@joelampl6003]

Where to begin on teaching best practices to those who are supposed to know better! Thanks, Dianna!

[@stberchmans]

You guys didn’t discuss tree pollarding vs tree topping.

[@joelampl6003]

Not enough time to cover it all. Plus, tree topping was the main thing that I wanted to address because I see too much of it and too many trees dying.

[@emkn1479]

It seems like everyone in my area tops trees, it hurts my heart to see. I do have a question about how to properly prune a weeping cherry. It is misshapen from poor pruning and deer munching. There are also some shoots that don’t flower. Any help would be appreciated! The tree isn’t tall and manageable by myself I just need some pointers.

[@duckyluver12]

Not only do our strata landscapers top the trees, but then they shear them into round shapes with hedge trimmers. It just makes me shudder...I don't let them into my yard. We have an understanding.

[@SkylinersYeti]

Just hiring a landscape maintenance company to prune your trees and shrubs does not guarantee good work. I have worked 20 years as a professional landscape contractor. I have found that over 90 percent of the companies do not train there employees on correct pruning techniques. Most of them are very good with hedge shears. The problem arises when the proper tool is a pair of hand pruners. They just do not know the growth patterns of landscape plants. It is not hard but it does take a little training and knowledge.

[@joansmith3492]

Trees were coppiced in England for 100's of years for ease of obtaining fire wood or basket weaving. Some of the oldest trees in England were coppiced for several 100 years. I coppiced a big Texas Ash because it was too big and EAB is in my county. I would rather coppice it and cut it back every couple years than pay the extra expensive and danger of cutting down a large dead tree.