Understanding The Pruning and Growth of any Plant
Monday, January 7th, 2008Plant Growth and Pruning Know-how
To understand how to approach the pruning of any plant, you need to know how growth occurs. And since all growth originates in buds, they are the first plant parts to consider.
The terminal growth bud develops at the end of a stem or branch. This bud causes the stem to grow in length.
Lateral buds grow along the sides of stems. These buds produce the sideways, or lateral, growth that makes a plant bushy.
In some plants, there may be latent buds–buds that lie dormant beneath the bark. These will grow after pruning or injury removes the actively growing part of the stem.
During the season of active growth, terminal buds draw plant energy to themselves and grow, adding length to the stems. This flow of plant energy to a terminal growth bud is caused by hormones, called auxins, that are produced within the bud. But if you cut or nip off any growing terminal bud, the stem or branch ceases growing. When you remove the bud, one or more of the buds below it will begin to produce auxins and thus will draw plant energy. All the kinds of pruning cuts, including pinching, should be made just above some growth -a growth bud, stem, or branch. For explanations of how to make proper cuts, see “Pruning cuts” on the next page.