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Issue Date: April 6, 2008
Get out the pruners
It's spring thinning for trees.
Pruning lets light and air into mature trees.
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Not every tree needs pruning -- natural growth can be beautiful -- but if you're going to trim, now may be the time.
Some expert pointers:
Pruning encourages growth, so the best time to prune is in late winter or early spring, says Matthew Whiting, Washington State University horticulturist. Exception: To slow down a fast-growing tree, prune in June or July.
Make thinning cuts, which remove a branch at the base of the V where it originates. Don't merely remove the tip: "That only begets more pruning," Whiting says.
Know your tree. Some have a compact, upright growth habit, and others are weeping. You can't change one type into the other, Whiting says.
Apples, pears and stone fruits (peaches, plums) vary in how frequently they can use pruning, says Lee Reich, author of "The Pruning Book." He notes that peach trees need new growth, stimulated by pruning, to fruit well; apple trees can fruit on older wood.
-- Lisa Jaffe Hubbell
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