Pruning Plants For Growth: Important Things To Know

Home gardening has many important and crucial things involved; one of them is pruning plants for growth. Gardeners know that it is essential, but it is a neglected activity in home gardening most of the time.

We all consider it a growth tactic. We think that pruning is just for the growth of the plants. But there is something more critical associated with this activity. It is like a grooming session for your plants.

Why do we ignore this simple and effective activity? Is it not that creative? I felt the same when thinking about grooming my homegrown Stevia, Mint, Lemongrass, and some other herbal plants.

However, when I learned the benefits of pruning, I was stuck and started pruning actively. Because I was not that familiar with an activity like pruning the plants, I made many mistakes in the beginning.

Mistakes are always made at the beginning when new gardeners prune plants. Now, I’m here with insightful information about plant pruning at home. Following are the things that you must know before going ahead with pruning.

Know The Basics

First of all, you need to know the basics. Do you know what pruning is and why it is being practiced by gardeners and even farmers? Don’t worry if you don’t know much about it; let’s explore more about pruning.

What Is Pruning?

As I have told you previously, pruning is like a grooming session for the plants. We can also call it trimming. In this activity, we cut down the dead, long, unnecessary branches, stems, leaves, and other plants’ parts.

Right Time To Pruning The Plants

What is the best time to prune plants? The answer is very subjective because it is different for every species. However, there is a rule of thumb for all the plants. The rule is to prune your plant during its growing season.

Tools Required To Prune The Plants

Thorns, sharp leaves & stems may hurt you when you don’t have proper tools. Pruning shears, gloves, scissors, and cutters are good options. Make sure that your devices are sharp enough. Remove any dirt or rust from tools with the help of a cleaning agent that is safe for metals, plants, and your skin.

Why Pruning Is Important?

You might ask why gardeners prune plants? Yes, pruning plants for growth is one of the common reasons; but there are so many other benefits that pruning entails. Following are a few of them.

Good Plant Health

When it comes to the health of a plant, there are many things to consider. Fertilizers, sunlight, water, and the overall nutrition of the plant; Good plant health can also be achieved with proper pruning. If there is less or no pruning, there might be a high risk of diseases in plants.

Maintaining The Shape

To give your plant a shape, you need to prune it. Whether you are willing to make a topiary garden or not, giving a proper form to your plant makes it look more attractive.

Boosted Growth

When your plant is healthy and dead stems and leaves are not negatively impacting the nutritional absorption, it will boost growth. If you have planted something that grows fruits, vegetables, or even flowers, then you will find that there will be more crop yield you are getting after pruning.

Make It More Beautiful!

Pruning plants for growth is essential, but it is crucial to prune plants for good health. Removing dead parts of the plant and giving it a shape will make your home garden look more beautiful.

-Pankaj Rai