To keep plants healthy and to garner more yielding fruits, pruning and trimming are best practices. Pruning is a horticulture activity which benefits the plants in ways like better view of vehicles and pedestrians, increased flowering, better health and reducing risk of breaking the stem or branches. But when this is performed excessively without proper guidance it may kill your plant.
There are consequences like development of low aggressive limbs, weak stems, bark inclusions, and collection of dead branches. Formation of lower limbs in plants is a defect hardly recognised by people. This leads to overextension and later breakage. Removing large branches can lead to decay. Let us study harms inflicted by over pruning on a plant-
1) Decay
When a tree is cut it feels damaged. Cuts can cause injury to a plant. More the number of cuts, earlier the plant gets damaged. Therefore, throughout the lifespan of a plant it should be cut very often. One large cut or small cuts can ruin the health of a tree.
2) Diminished Food Production
Foliage present inside the tree prepares food for the plant. Fertilisers are not the food. Fertilizers are only used by foliage to produce elements that help in preparing food. Fertilizers are absorbed through the roots. While over pruning, large parts of the foliage are removed hence lowering the ability of producing food. This is not good for the health of the plant , reducing its food storage capacity.
3) Interior Sprouting
When too much foliage is removed it leads to imbalance. Hence all the stored food is used to create foliage. If their is a significant reduction in thickness of crown, it will cause interior sprouting. This will allow excessive sunlight to penetrate, exposed the bark to sunlight. This adversely affects the health and longevity of the plant.
4) Increased Costs
Over pruning means visits by experts more oftens. This is expensive and will cause you to shell out unnecessary money. Over pruning also causes excessive sprouting and require a constant check and attention. Good pruning practices will not burn a hole in your pocket.
5) Low Limbs
If the low limbs are excessively raised it increases the stress on the trunk and the roots. Both have them have to be strong, if either of them is weak it leads to imbalance. They can be decayed or damaged in weak areas leading to falling of a tree.
6) Breakage
Individual limb are exposed to higher stress if excess amount of lateral growth is removed. The outward growth and foliage distribute the load of wind.
To conclude over pruning results in-
- excessive wounds
- increase in interior sprouting
- sun injury
- expenses
- chances of wind damage
To know more about over tree pruning visit : Nevada Tree Service