If you have intended the trees to have a specific function, pruning directs the growth into the desired shape. This guide explains the importance of the type of pruning in the home garden for fruit and ornamental trees. Find out here which plant species require expert pruning and which trees can safely do without it.
Why is pruning important for trees?
A pruning is a pruning technique that is used on young shrubs and trees to direct growth into the desired shape, build supporting branch structures and promote yields in fruit trees. It is particularly relevant for fruit trees, berry bushes and solitary ornamental trees or those used as hedges.
Build-up section – definition with explanations
Pruning on young shrubs in the first 2 to 3 years and trees up to 10 to 15 years old. The aim of shrubs is to grow in the desired form as a solitary plant or hedge. The aim of trees is to build up supporting branch categories to create an optimal crown structure with a balanced ratio of trunk extension, leading branches and lateral branches.
In the pruning care of fruit trees and berry bushes, structural pruning is much more important than on ornamental shrubs. Without pruning, a young fruit tree continually grows upwards, spreading its crown in all directions and neglecting the formation of flower buds from which the longed-for fruits are formed. By training fruit trees in the first few years through targeted pruning measures, you promote productive growth. For this reason, the type of cut is also called a parenting cut.
Various forms of education are available to choose from – an overview
For deciduous and coniferous trees, the focus is always on pruning when they form an opaque hedge or are presented as a solitary standard tree. There is a wide range of training methods available for training fruit trees, which can only be achieved through expert pruning. The following overview presents you with popular options for growing trees in your home garden:
| Fruit trees | Berry bushes | Ornamental shrubs, deciduous trees and conifers |
|---|---|---|
| Round crown | solitary standard tree 80-90 cm high | solitary standard tree |
| hollow crown | Solitary foot trunk, 40-60 cm high | solitary shrub with several scaffolding shoots |
| Spindle | Spindle | Hedge in trapezoid shape |
| Bush | Trellis | |
| Trellis | Trellis on facade or pergola | |
| Column | Shrub on a stick |
Opaque deciduous and coniferous bushes offer the perfect starting point for the subsequent topiary as a ball, pyramid, figure or ornamental sculpture.
Not all shrubs need pruning
In contrast to fruit trees, many ornamental shrubs can do without pruning. The following overview lists popular solitary shrubs that thrive naturally:
| Shrubs without pruning | botanical name | Growth height | Growth width |
|---|---|---|---|
| True rock pear | Amelanchier ovalis | 250 to 300 cm | 150 to 200 cm |
| Flower dogwood | Cornus florida, Cornus kousa | 400 to 800 cm | 300 to 500 cm |
| Cornelian cherry | Cornus mas | 600 to 800 cm | 400 to 600 cm |
| Hawthorn | Crataegus | 500 to 800 cm | 300 to 500 cm |
| wig bush | Cotinus coggygria | 200 to 400 cm | 200 to 300 cm |
| Gorse | Genista | 30 to 100 cm | 20 to 50 cm |
| panicle hydrangea | Hydrangea paniculata | 200 to 300 cm | 150 to 250 cm |
| Magnolia | Magnolia ssp | 300 to 600 cm | 300 to 400 cm |
Tip
The exemplary build-up cut only leads to lasting success when it leads to a regular thinning cut. The best form of training becomes unbalanced within a short time when dead wood and unfavorably growing branches gain the upper hand.
