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Fall Pruning

I do most of my serious pruning in late winter when plants are dormant and the worst weather has passed. Earlier cuts can be subject to freeze damage. Yet autumn is a great time for garden cleanup, including a lot of cutting and hacking. So, what should or shouldn't be cut back in the autumn?...and why?

Fall, after the foliage has withered, is the time to give all those deciduous perennials a haircut. Cut back all the dead stuff and apply a nice insulating layer of mulch.

Prune out any dead wood from trees and shrubs once the leaves have dropped and you can get a clear view. Taking out dead branches in the fall reduces the potential for fungal infections and overwintering insects. After leaf fall is also the time to remove suckers and water spouts from fruiting and flowering trees and shrubs. Take them back to the main branch or trunk.

Trees such as maples and birches can bleed heavily if pruned in the spring or summer. As sap flow slows with the shortening days and colder temperatures it is safe to trim them. Lace leaf Japanese maples are great candidates for thinning after leaf fall, when they no longer look like Cousin It. Start by removing all the dead wood that tends to build underneath. After that, work your way around, taking out crossing branches and accentuating the sculptural qualities by pruning out twigs. Don't worry about taking off too much; pruning at this time will actually invigorate your tree come spring.

If you have English Ivy in your yard, fall is the time to battle it. At this point it is relatively easy to pry off of trunks, bricks and concrete. No matter how much you hack away at it, you're not likely to cause any significant damage.

Fall is a time for clean up; cool days make great work days. Just remember to save your major pruning projects for another, colder, day.

by Brian Mumm
Skylights Autumn 2009, Vol 24, No. 3

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