Although there is still some snow lingering in the shaded areas of my yard, I have begun some tasks in the garden. It won’t be long before these warm, sunny days open the buds on the trees and shrubs. Now is a good time to do some pruning, before the buds burst open.
First I check for winter damage on my shrubs and cut back any broken branches to the next branch, or in the case of a broken tip on a long branch, to an outward facing bud.
Next I check for crossing branches that are rubbing against each other and remove one of them. I remove any branches that look diseased or dead, and in an older shrub I will remove one or two of the oldest branches right down to the ground or as low as I can work without damaging neighbouring branches.
For my trees I also remove dead, broken, diseased and rubbing branches. On my fruit trees I also shorten long branches, cutting back to a side branch. A long branch heavy with fruit can break, damaging the tree as it tears down the trunk. On young trees I may remove the lowest branch as the tree grows taller.
More pruning may be needed through the summer, but only to remove dead, damaged or diseased branches. Maples and birch should not be pruned until they are in full leaf. If pruned before then they lose a great deal of sap from the cuts.
The raspberry patch needs the old canes removed and the young canes thinned out. The two year old canes produced fruit last year, and are easy to distinguish from last year’s new growth, which will produce this year’s berries. The old canes have many side branches, and the bark looks ragged. The new canes are straight and smooth, without side branches. I also cut back the tips of the new canes to encourage branching and greater fruit production.
To prevent some insect damage and disease I will use dormant spray. A dormant spray kit contains a bottle each of lime-sulphur and horticultural oil, which are combined according to directions and mixed with water. This spray will kill overwintering insects and fungal diseases on trees and shrubs. It is important to use the spray when the temperature is above five degrees, rain is not expected that day, and freezing temperatures are not expected the following night. The buds on the trees and shrubs should not have opened. Around here, that is a very narrow window, but it is well worth the effort.
