Gardening Tips

Did your plants persist a cold-blooded winter freeze this season ? If so , you may have questions around when and how to prune . In this article , horticulture expert Jill Drago shares her top tips for pruning plants after a hard winter freeze .

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Pruning plants after winter freeze

A garden dusted with snow can be just as beautiful as a garden in full bloom in the summertime . That is of course until the heavy C and freezing temperature wreak havoc on your beautiful industrial plant .

wintertime and frost damage can look unlike depending on where you live and what sort of plants you are growing in your garden . The symptom could include burned and discolored farewell , frozen and destroyed flower and foliage buds , as well as rugged branches .

Keep reading to learn sometips to clean your plants up after a harsh winter freeze .

Close-up of snow-covered bushes in the garden against a blurred background. The bushes have thin dark brown branches covered with small green and orange oval leaves. The branches are covered with snow.

Wait Until Spring

I can understand how tempting it may be to get out into your garden after some heavy C snap some arm , or after a deep halt . I am here to severalize you to wait .

It is urge to look to do any pruning on damage plant until you may truly appraise the harm that has been done . Allowing the plant to flip out will give you a better idea of what need to be removed .

It is important to set aside the plants to warm up and return to their normal selves as well . Thiswillpromote proper healingandwillprevent any further equipment casualty from pass .

Walnut leaves after frost. Close-up of dry frozen leaves in black color, oval shape with pointed tips against the backdrop of a blurry spring garden.

Of of course , if there are limb in the way of day - to - day life or limb that could be hazardous you should take charge of those right away .

Identify Damage

Many different type of damage can fall out after a deep winter freeze orunder the weightiness of snow .

The first would bebroken branches . This can be unsatisfying because it can bankrupt the smasher of your works , and sometimes it can even do plant life death . The breaking of branch could be as minimum as a few sprig snapping off , to entire branches snapping and dividing the plant .

You may also seeleaves that have darkened and become droopy . Flower bud can also become damaged by extremely cold temperature .

Close-up of male hands conducting a scratch test on a branch of a bush in a spring garden. A man scrapes off the top layer of bark from a branch with a sharp knife to see what is underneath. The bare section of the branch has a pale green tint, which indicates that there is no frost damage on the bush.

Both of these types of damage are not deadly to your plant , but you may have to give a season of beautiful blooms while your plants reclaim .

Dead vs. Damaged

It can be very shivery to see your plant life covered with dismal or discolored leave . If you have rationalise your flora too deep in the summer or dip , the novel growth may not have had enough fourth dimension to harden off and could be more susceptible to frost damage .

These leave of absence will likely degenerate from the plant once they have thawed in the spring . Many plants will grow young leaves in the spring . However , if the plant appears damage this is where I would suggest giving the scratch test a try .

Simply utilise your fingernail or your garden shear toscratch a chip of the bark off of one of your damaged leg . If the plant life tissue paper below is green ; your flora is still animated and may just need some time to go back . If it is brown all the way through ; that branch , and maybe even the entire plant may be in jumpy shape .

A man sharpens a pruner outdoors, close-up. The man is wearing a white and black plaid shirt. The secateurs are clean, with sharpened blades, and bright blue handles. The sharpener is dark gray, rectangular shape.

Sharpen Your Tools

Before you start cutting , you will need tomake sure that your tools are cleaned and sharpened . This will likely be the first meter you are using your shears since the twilight , and they could probably utilise a bit of a tune - up .

Many garden centers will do this service for you . If you are going to give this a try at home , wear off protective baseball mitt to protect your skin .

If your pruning shears are already sharpened , give them a quick cleaning . Diseases and insect eggs can linger in tools , and it is really bare to pass over them down . you may clean your shears with rubbing alcohol or diluted blanching agent . Allow the shears to dry out completely before you utilize them .

Pruning rose bushes in spring. Close-up of green pruners in a gardener’s hand, wearing a white and blue glove, pruning frost-damaged branches of a rose bush in a garden. Rose stems are tall, strong, dark green with red thorns. The leaves on the branches are shriveled, dry, brown due to frost. The gardener cuts the plant using the one-third rule.

Use the One-third Rule

The number one pruning rule I have learned over the rules , and in all probability the most popular rule in worldwide is the one - third ruler .

This rule is easy to follow . When you are pruning for chassis or removing damage growth you will only want toremove one - third of the subdivision per class .

If your shrub is 3 feet tall , you will only need to dispatch 1 groundwork of subdivision . This might be frustrating if you have more life-threatening damage , however , it is the best elbow room for your plant to recover .

Close-up of frost-damaged rose flower buds in a garden. The buds are rounded, covered with brown dry petals, pale pink petals are barely visible inside. The stems of the rosebush are bright green fading to purplish black towards frost-damaged tops.

likewise , to taking duration off of your industrial plant , if you are remove branches from within the plant it is best to only remove one - third of the branches from the plant per class .

Remove Damaged Flower Buds & Leaves

Frost and frigid temperature can damage your peak buds as well as leaves onevergreen shrub .

Late frosts can seriously damage tender flower buds on your plant . The bud will ferment brown or blackand are easy to identify . These buds likely will not blossom , but if they do the prime will be distorted . you may remove these flower buds by script if you wish , or you may pass on them to see what happens .

If you notice yourleaves have dry out and become discolored , you are in all probability dealing with desiccation . It happen when your plant life is release more water system than can be taken in by the roots . In the spring , these leaves will likely be pushed off by new growth . If they do n’t you may use your hands to sweep them off .

Close-up of a gardener’s hand cutting the branches of a bush in the garden with black secateurs. The secateurs are clean, with sharp blades, and black rubber handles. The branches of the bush are bare, thin, dark brown.

Keep the Plant’s Shape in Mind

While you are pruning , check that you are charter a few gradation back from the plant every now and again to check that you are n’t damage the shape of the shrub .

If the damage has occurred in a prominent spot on your shrub , you may want to make the pruning a multi - year cognitive process . If you’re able to enshroud your pruning because it is in the back of the shrub , go for it !

That being said , if your plant is severely damaged pruning to the terra firma , is an option ! Use your garden shear totrim back branches to within a few in of the flat coat . This will advertise young ontogeny in the spring .

Cut branches of a garden hedge close-up. The bush is dense, many thick, cut branches, some of which have small oval leaves, dark green in color.

Remove Dead Wood

While you are pruning your shrub keep your eye out for any deadwood within your plant . This is a large fourth dimension to remove the fifth wheel . This is wood that has no parting on it . It may appear hollow and will not be unripe if you perform the lettuce test .

Sometimes , as is the causa with hydrangeas , you could just pull the fifth wheel out with your hands . If this is not the case , you’re able to cut it back to the ground or the nearest outgrowth item .

Removing deadwood will helpincrease the airflow within the plantand willmake elbow room for new growthto expand .

A woman holds a hose spraying water on bushes in a spring garden. The bushes are dense and covered with green leaves. The hose is yellow, the sprayer is yellow-green.

Water Before and After Pruning

We all sleep with how important lachrymation is to the overall health of our plant life . It is especially important when you are pruning your works and removing any ontogeny . Water your plants before you dress your flora tohelp aid in proper wound healing .

Once you have nail your pruning work , remember to water your plants ! Pruning make receptive wounds on your plants . These wounds will cure well if the plants are well watered . Open wound also can cause water loss .

Since it will be spring by the metre you are completing this pruning , you should be quick tostart your even wateringanyway . However , if these plants happen to be in an area where you do n’t typically piss it may be helpful to set a reminder or result a hose out to drip .

Close-up of a gardener’s hand in a raspberry jacket pruning long hydrangea stems with blue secateurs in an autumn garden. The hydrangea bush has tall, erect stems, on top of which are lush panicles of sterile flowers. Flowers and stems are brown.

Start Preparing in the Fall

go in a frigid climate , you probably are mentally prepared for some damage to occur to your industrial plant during the cold seasons . prune out utter woods or other potentially damaged limb in the fallis a slap-up room to preclude larger breakage from happening under the weight of ice and snowfall .

Another great way to prepare your flora for the cold wintertime months is by water them ! Once the ground freezes your plant will not be able to take in much water . The more piss your plants can drink in the fall , the honorable they will be all wintertime retentive .

Ignore Pruning Altogether

You may have experienced a deep hoarfrost this wintertime , but that does n’t needs intend that you demand to prune your plant . Plants are live . If you are grow plant that are intrepid in your hardiness zone , you may be just fine .

Frost can stimulate equipment casualty that may come along ugly . But the heart and soul of the plant life may still be awake and well even if the outside makes the plant life look like it wo n’t survive . This could be frost - damaged leaves or flower buds .

It may take a year for the works to start to look its sound again . But pruning induces stress on your plant , so you may be better off not pruning at all .

Close-up of a frozen wilted hosta plant in a spring garden. The large shrub consists of thin stems at the tops of which are large, heart-shaped, ribbed leaves, dark green in color with yellow to brown and almost black damaged tips.

Final Thoughts

wintertime equipment casualty can be thwarting to deal with . Spring should be full of joy and happiness and have got to prune away geezerhood of backbreaking oeuvre is a bummer .

The good affair you could do is to be patient until you could to the full assess the damage in the spring . Take your time andmake heedful cuts to assist rejuvenate your plantand showcase its smasher this season .