Good pruning is an art, but it takes a good understanding of the science behind it to make it efficient, says Dave Williams, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System horticulturist.

"If you remember the difference between two basic types of pruning cuts, you will not need to prune as often," Williams says. "You will also have better-looking landscapes."

The two types of cuts are heading and thinning.

Heading cuts are made anywhere along the length of the branch.

"These cuts promote increased shoot growth because several buds below the point of the cut will be encouraged to develop into shoots," Williams says. "When you shear a hedge, you are making heading cuts. You can expect to prune again several times during the growing season."

Each heading cut allows between two and four shoots to grow in place of the one shoot that has been removed.

Thinning cuts, on the other hand, reduce plant size without encouraging a lot of new growth.

"Thinning involves the removal of a branch at a point where it arises from another branch," Williams says. "The result is continued growth of the single branch, instead of three or four shoots replacing the one removed."

Thinning cuts maintain a plant’s natural form and reduce its size.

"It requires a little more time and effort when you prune the first time, but it usually means a lot less pruning during the season," Williams says.

SOURCE: Dave Williams, (jdwillia@aces.edu), Alabama Cooperative Extension System Horticulturist, (334) 844-3032