woody plants

Water sprouts and suckers: trace where vigorous shoots are coming from

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Water Sprouts And Suckers

Vigorous upright shoots do not all mean the same thing, and removing every one on sight can hide the reason they appeared. The useful first step is to trace each shoot to a branch, trunk, root, basal crown, or graft area, then look at the plant’s recent stress and structure before deciding what to cut.

Summer pruning: use it for a specific growth problem, not as a second winter

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Summer Pruning

Summer pruning is most useful when an actively growing woody plant has a specific problem that can be corrected with a limited cut. The leaves make crowding, shade, water sprouts, suckers, and interfering shoots easier to see, but that same active canopy is also supporting the plant through heat, drought, flowering, and fruit development. The