A Kinder Cut
20 August 2003


Spring has the reputation for being the busy period for pruning but late summer sees the secateurs working overtime.

If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to carry out any necessary pruning of plums and cherries, both eating and ornamental types. Spores of fungus diseases that are deadly to these trees
are dormant in summer. It is more tricky trying to prune when the tree is in leaf and the fruit beginning to swell but start by removing diseased branches and those that are crossing.

Try to keep the centre of fruiting trees open to allow the sun to penetrate. Still with fruit, the summer fruiting raspberries have finished. Remove all the canes which carried fruit and thin out the new stems to leave about six per foot run of the line. Tie in the new growths as these will carry next year’s crop. Always cut the canes as close to soil level as possible. Stumps of old canes are likely to spread disease.

If you want to propagate blackcurrant bushes by hardwood cuttings in winter using the prunings to make 12 inch long cuttings then prune them in winter and use this season’s branches to form 12 inch
long, hardwood cuttings. I prefer to cut the old branches out at ground level as soon as the crop has been picked. A good feed and regular watering will encourage new, strong stems to appear low down on
the plant.

Rambling roses can be pruned as soon as they have finished flowering. Cut out the old, dark coloured stems and tie in the strong new stems. Curving them to form an arch against a wall or timber trellis will encourage extra flowers.

Climbing roses should be pruned in early spring removing old branches and reducing the length of new shoots by 20-30 per cent.
Summer flowering shrubs such as weigela, philadelphus and escallonia can be pruned removing the branches which have lowered. Feeding, watering and mulching will result in lots of new growths which
will flower next summer. Old, neglected specimens of these shrubs can be severely pruned. Over a few years they will recover with new growths and flower as well as before. Where there is a lot of prunings, hiring a shredder will provide you with useful mulching material.

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