PRUNE TREES

• Pruning – a physical process of

removing plant parts like growing
points, foliage and branches to attain
some specific purpose
• Heading-back – a type of pruning in
which the cuts are made at the
terminal portion of the plant
• Thinning-out – the complete removal
of any number of branches.
 Pruning is a physical process of
judicious removal of plant parts like
growing points or meristems, foliage or
branches to attain specific purposes.
Pruning may result in over-all reduction in
height, general configuration and total
photosynthetic area of the plant.
Pruning is of two types based on
the nature of making the cuts.

1. Heading-back - The cuts are made at

the terminal portion of the plant. Removal
of the growing point will enable the
sprouting of lateral buds just below the cut
and develop freely to constitute the new
lateral branches.
2. Thinning-out. This is the complete
removal of any number of branches. The
remaining branches retain their apical
dominance, suppress the development of
the lateral buds and grow into sturdy
boughs.
 Objectives of Pruning
Pruning is practiced to achieve
certain objectives.
1. Control the height, size and
shape of the crown.
2. Remove branches that are
undesirably situated like those
that interlace with one another.
3. Remove diseased branches and
fast-growing cluster of “water sprouts”
which develop at the base of the trunk
or along the main branches.
4. Remove inner branches to lessen
the density of the canopy, to allow
filtration of sunlight, and to minimize
the development of diseases
5. Lessen the number of inner branches to
facilitate spraying and other operations.
6. Form a hedge and ensure regular
development of shoots and young
leaves.
7. Lessen the number of branches and
amount of foliage in order to induce
bearing of fruit and increase their size
(i.e. grapes and passion fruit.)
8. Remove the aging top of the plant that
has become unproductive, and has been
replaced by a new growth.
 How Pruning is Done

Pruning trees is simply done by

using a sharp tool, either a pruning
saw, a pruning knife or a pruning
shear.
 The following are the steps in
pruning fruit-bearing crops:

1. Trim the tree uniformly by removing

relatively small branches. Avoid
cutting large branches of the tree.
2. Cut the dead, diseased and broken
branches
3. Trim the leading branches when they
are too high or are spreading too wide.
To do this, cut the straight stubs but not
the side shoots.
4. Remove the water and intertwining
sprouts altogether when they are not
needed.
5. Trim the remaining parts of the tree to
be pruned.