Darrell Blackwelder: Pruning questions

The No. 1 question I receive is about pruning. Homeowners are always anxious to prune during any type of weather change — cool or warm.

Many believe fall is the best time to prune trees and shrubs. Judicious pruning can be done at almost any time of the year. Trees and shrubs always need constant pruning year-round to keep growth in check.

However, heavy pruning in the fall may cause damage later this winter or early spring. Heavy duty pruning should be initiated in the spring in mid-March to avoid the possibility of cold damage. Heavy pruning at this time of the year could stimulate growth in some plants should we experience unseasonably warm temperatures in late winter or early spring.

For this reason, fruit trees and grape vines should be pruned as late as possible in the spring to avoid bloom damage. Spring-blooming plants such as azaleas, weigela, forsythia and camellia japonica should be pruned after bloom in the spring, including encore azaleas. Bud set is initiated in most spring blooming plant materials in late summer and early fall so pruning now would remove much of the flowers for spring.

This holds true for other spring flowering trees such as dogwood, flowering cherry and redbud. Trees and shrubs can be lightly pruned now to help shape them for growth in the spring. Excessive summer growth or an occasional limb that hampers mowing can be removed without major damage to the plant.

Darrell Blackwelder is the retired horticulture agent and director with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County. Contact him at deblackw@ncsu.edu.