Look Inside
Improve your pruning skills and gain the knowledge and confidence you need to tackle any pruning job!
Pruning is a job that many inexperienced gardeners find challenging – am I pruning at the right time? Am I taking off the right amount? Am I removing the right material? How can I be sure I still get flowers or fruit next season? This eBook will help you to answer all these questions it will develop your confidence and help you to understand why you prune, when you should prune, how you should prune and how much you can safely remove. And also have great looking plants that live longer!
This book covers:
• How pruning affects plants and why you should or should not prune
• General pruning guidelines
• What pruning tools to select and use for the right job
• Pruning of hedges and how to create espaliers, bonsai and topiary
• What to do with prunings
• Pruning fruit trees and roses
• A comprehensive plant directory that covers a huge selection of plants and the correct pruning technique for each.
An essential tool for any gardener!
Pages: 147
Pictures: 180
ISBN: 978-0-9943737-4-8
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 introduction
Why, when and what to prune: how pruning affects plants
Removing broken branches, dead or diseased wood
Controlling the type of growth
Controlling the plant’s shape and size
Promoting healthy, bushy growth
Rejuvenating a plant
Why prune?
Pruning different species
Timing for pruning
What is compartmentalisation?
Chapter 2 types of pruning
Cleaning out dead wood
Stopping
Disbudding
Deadheading
Pollarding
Removing branches
Crown cleaning
Crown thinning
Crown reduction
Crown lifting
Crown renewal
Root pruning
Pruning trees in general
Pruning larger shrubs
Pruning tropical plants
Pruning container plants
Chapter 3 pruning tools and equipment
Secateurs
Pruning knife
Loppers
Pole pruners
Hand saws
Trimmers
Chainsaws
Gloves
Chapter 4 pruning hedges
Selecting hedging plants
Establishing a hedge
Types of hedge
Pruning or trimming an established hedge
Rejuvenating old and overgrown hedges
Pruning conifers
Other hedging techniques
Pleaching
Tapestry hedges
Mazes
Chapter 5 shaping plants
How to develop an espalier
Horizontal espalier
Oblique palmette espalier
Topiary
Portable topiary
Other plants suitable for topiary
Single-stem topiary
Verdant sculptures
Bonsai
Creating bonsai
Pruning bonsai to shape it
Chapter 6 managing prunings
Composting waste
Choosing plants for composting
Using compost to improve soils
Composting in home gardens
Indore method
Using lawn clippings
Mulching
How to lay mulch
Biochar
Chipping
Chapter 7 pruning for fruit production
Before buying plants consider the shape
Before pruning
Points to consider when pruning
Pruning specific fruits
Citrus spp.
Pruning a bush shape
Pruning a standard shape
Renovating an old citrus tree
Open vase shape formative pruning
Plum tree pruning
Pruning apricots
Knowing your buds
Chapter 8 pruning roses
When to prune roses
Pruning techniques for different types of roses
Pruning climbers and ramblers at a glance
Pruning roses as standards
Dead heading roses
Rejuvenating an old rose plant
Chapter 9 compendium of plants: how to prune what and when
Summary: basic pruning guide
Glossary
Appendix
Distance learning and online courses
E-books by John Mason and ACS staff
Printed books by John Mason
Useful contacts
ACS global partners
Social media
How does this course work?
You can enrol at any time
Once you have paid for the course, you will be able to start straight away.
Study when and where you like. Work through at your own pace.
You can download your study-guide to your smart phone, tablet or laptop to read offline.
There are automated self-assessment tests you can complete at the end of each lesson. You can attempt these as many times as you wish and each time, upon completion, you can see your results. You will need internet access to complete the self assessment tests.
At the end of the course, you are presented with a large assessment which can be attempted online, anywhere, anytime. If you achieve a 60% pass in the exam; you immediately receive a downloadable certificate of completion with your name on it. If you do not achieve a 60% pass rate, you can contact us to re-sit your exam. ( email- [email protected] )
Contact us at anytime if you have any issues with the course. [email protected]
BOOK REVIEW
The following review was published in Earth Garden Magazine in Australia, in September 2016.