Pruning is Unnatural - But it Matters!
Since nothing in nature gets pruned, why do gardeners need to prune fruit-bearing trees and berry bushes? Want to know the answer? Read on!
It is almost spring, and this is when I prune my fruit-bearing trees and berry bushes. I copy nature in so many ways in my garden, yet no pruning takes place in nature. Still, for the gardener, it makes good sense to prune, and here is why pruning matters.
Focusing energy
Every spring, woody perennials (trees/shrubs/bushes) break from dormancy and their leaf and flower buds begin to develop. That initial development is fueled by energy (sugars/carbohydrates) stored in their roots. By pruning, the ratio of stored energy to buds changes, such that there is more energy per bud. This tends to result in bigger and healthier fruit development.
More energy
While the initial growth of woody perennials is fueled by energy stored in roots, the bulk of growth over the season is powered by energy from the sun that plants capture by means of photosynthesis. By pruning to maximize sun exposure and minimize shading, each leaf will get an optimal amount of light and the plant will be a more efficient energy gathering machine. Of course, there is a sweet spot here: remove too many branches and the plant will not gather enough sun energy. They key is to only remove branches that are being shaded, or are causing shade, such that every branch is maximally contributing to the plant.
Airflow
Proper pruning allows for good airflow. Airflow allows the plant to dry itself off after rains or morning dews. When plants stay wet they can get bacterial or fungal diseases. When they stay dry, they are much better at resisting disease. Good airflow, in combination with access to sunlight, will help plants stay dry, and this is best facilitated by means of pruning.
Less pest problems
Pruning prevents pest damage in two ways. Firstly, by increasing the amount of sun exposure, pests have fewer places to hide from their predators. As a result, they will tend to look for safer places to find a meal. Secondly, by preventing disease, there will be less pest activity. Both plants and their fruits have natural ways of warding off pest damage - usually by means of rough textures, thick skins, or various chemical compounds that they produce. Diseases compromise a plant’s ability to do these things - so pests will attack affected areas. It is also the case that affected areas can have a smell that draws pest in. A properly pruned plant can be very good at warding off pests, and may need no pesticides or other interventions.
Less Breakage
Branches that are over-stressed will break. Pruning with an eye to preventing damage from winds, heavy fruit loads, or excess accumulation of snow and ice can prevent broken branches.
Balance
Most trees and shrubs have a natural inclination to symmetry and balance - but sometimes they don’t, and the result is a tree with one side that is heavier than the others. This can be especially problematic in fall and spring when a combination of heavy winds, and soil softened by rains can cause a tree to tip over. A lack of balance can easily be remedied with a couple strategic cuts.
New Growth
As a general rule, fruit grows best on wood that is 2 - 5 years old. By pruning with an eye to managing and stimulating new growth, better yields can be achieved over time. With experience, old growth is easy to identify. For beginners, color-coded ribbons are a good way to mark the passage of time on various parts of a plant.
But don’t herbivores “prune” plants?
Yes, it is true that the feeding activity of herbivores has the effect of removing branches from woody perennials - which is like pruning - but this is not pruning in the horticultural sense. The herbivore is eating and is not thinking about balance, or light exposure, or airflow, or any of the considerations mentioned above. The herbivore is not tending to the plant, and has no future plans for the plant or its productivity. At the same time, woody perennials, after eons of having been fed upon by herbivores, have developed a fantastic solution to that problem - they put on new growth - and they do so in response to the extent of the damage. To put it simply - herbivore damage stimulates growth. So, while herbivores really aren’t “pruning” woody perennials, we gardeners can take advantage of the way woody perennials respond to herbivore damage by pruning - which stimulates them to grow in ways that are in accordance with some broader design of ours that maximizes plant health and fruit production.
Final Thoughts
Pruning woody perennials is about making decisions. Every year, just before spring, I go out with my shears and saw, and make a set of decisions for every tree and shrub in my garden. Some times they are good decisions that help the plant in the short, medium and long-term - and sometimes they are bad decisions that make no sense at all upon reflection. Thankfully, woody perennials are very forgiving. The plant grows back, and the next year there are a whole new set of decisions that have to be made. Over time, with care, the plants thrive and produce, and I continue to learn about pruning. If you are growing fruit bearing plants and have never done any pruning, make this the year that you get out there and make a few cuts and see what happens. Don’t worry - the plants will survive a few mistakes!
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