Spring Into Pruning
Fruit trees should be pruned before bud break. Yearly pruning keeps sucker growth under control. Suckers are those whippy new branches that usually grow straight up. Take them off completely. Remove all branches that cross each other or grow towards the sky. Cut right back to the collar, a slight swelling near the base of the branch. Special cells in the collar encourage bark to grow over the cut, heal it, and discourage disease.
Don't bother with paint or tree wound gunk. All this does is inhibit the tree's natural defenses. Do cut cleanly, however. Use a good bow or pruning saw and keep it sharp. The same is true of loppers and pruners.
Don't mow off the ends of branches either. Take the whole thing or nothing. Truncating branches encourages sucker growth. While you are at it, clean up all the old fallen fruit and prunings beneath your trees, especially apples. Apple maggots winter over in rotten fruit and fallen leaves. Raking under trees helps control this pest.
When the days grow longer and begin to warm, prune your roses to encourage new growth. Don't be too eager to do this in northern New England. Late frosts can do a number on tender new growth. Roses should be pruned first of broken and winter killed branches. Then prune for shape. Here again, take off the entire branch. Some rose books say to prune back to the nearest 5-leaved shoot, and that's fine for summer. Around here, there are no leaves to prune back to in early spring. So use your eye to shape the bush and prune sparingly.
For spring flowering shrubs, delay pruning until after they bloom. Most set flower buds last fall and spring pruning will spoil the show. Just remove broken branches and winter killed tips. Prune for shape later, taking out crowded branches and letting air flow through.
Most shrubs and hedges should not be chopped of on the top. That's not pruning, that's giving them a haircut. What eventually happens is the interior of the bush becomes too crowded, limiting light and air, and it dies. To keep a hedge at a certain height, take out the taller shoots, leaving shorter ones. Open up the interior and remove crossing branches. The hedge will have a less formal look and be much healthier.
Spring seems reluctant to show her fair face in northern New England
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