5 Pruning Mistakes to Avoid in Your Garden This Fall

When it comes to pruning your garden as well as shrubs and trees around your yard, it can be a bit intimidating, especially if you haven’t done it before. Especially with the fall season, it can be tricky dealing with unexpected weather and more. Fortunately, it’s not as complicated as you may think. Just make sure to avoid these pruning mistakes this upcoming fall season.

Pruning When It’s Damp or Wet

With autumn comes more rainfall and dampness overall in your yard. In general, this is not a prime time to prune any of your plants or trees. This is because the rainfall increases the risk of infection for trees and other plants, which would ruin all of your hard work you did over the summer months. In addition, you run the risk of microbes increasing like wild fire. It is best to wait at least a week after heavy rainfall to continue pruning.

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Pruning Only the Small Tips of Your Plants

When you see a shrub or plant in your front lawn that needs to be taken care of, it’s easy to think that snipping the smallest amount off the plant will be better than taking off more of it. Contrary to that believe, it’s actually advisable to make a few large cuts (especially for trees). This will help your plants have one only one dominant bud, instead of multiple.

Pruning Before Leaves Have Fallen

You may be wanting to prune right away when the leaves start falling this upcoming fall season, but it’s actually best to wait a little bit longer until all the leaves have fallen off your trees, shrubs and more. It’s essential to prune your plants once they are dormant. If you prune before then when the plant is still actively growing, the new growth won’t have time to harden before extreme cold weather hits.

Pruning When Temperatures Plummet

With autumn comes a lot of unexpected weather and sometimes this means unexpected temperatures, even in the early weeks. Pruning during excessive cold especially for trees is not advisable. This is because branches could snap or break without warning which could cause danger to yourself, your loved ones, your home, and of course your trees. So skip the pruning when the weather gets below 25 degrees and stay inside in the warmth—you will have plenty of time to prune later once the weather warms up.

Pruning With Improper Tools

Pruning with dull hand tools can cause plants to break roughly and can even cause them to shred when cut improperly. This will ultimately lead to diseases and pests on your plants which we know is the last thing you would want. When in doubt, it’s best to sharpen your tools every six months, and if you don’t have time to do that, you can replace your tools once they become worn down, uneven or chipped. It’s better to be safe than sorry—especially when to comes to your beloved plants and garden.