Introduction to Pruning and Plant Health

These flashcards cover the vocabulary and technical concepts of pruning, tool selection, and plant physiological responses as discussed in the lecture.

Pruning Shears

Hand-held tools best utilized for cutting plant material that is $3/4\,\text{inch}$ in diameter or smaller.

Lopping Shears (Loppers)

Manual pruning tools typically used for cutting branches between $1\,\text{inch}$ and $1.5\,\text{inches}$ in diameter.

Felcos

A high-quality brand of hand pruners often considered the gold standard in the horticulture industry.

Apical Dominance

The physiological phenomenon where the terminal bud suppresses the growth of lateral buds down the stem.

Auxin

The phytohormone produced by the apical meristem that travels down the stem to keep axillary buds dormant.

Reduction Cut

A pruning technique that removes the terminal portion of a lead branch or trunk back to a lateral branch of equal or smaller diameter.

Removal Cut

Also known as a thinning cut, this involves eliminating a lateral branch back to its point of origin on a primary stem.

Heading Cut

A pruning cut that removes a portion of a branch back to a specific bud, often resulting in dense branching near the cut site.

Thinning

The selective removal of branches to open up the plant canopy for better light penetration and air circulation while maintaining a natural form.

Branch Bark Ridge

The ridge of bark that forms at the junction of a branch and the trunk; it serves as a structural guide for where to avoid making flush cuts.

Branch Collar

The swollen tissue at the base of a branch containing cells that divide to close wounds; pruning cuts should be made just outside this area.

Three-Cut Method

A technique used for removing large limbs that involves an undercut, a top cut to remove the limb, and a final cut to remove the stub without stripping the bark.

Under-cut

The first step in the three-cut method, made on the bottom of a branch to prevent the weight of the falling limb from tearing the bark down the trunk.

Rejuvenation (Renewal) Pruning

An aggressive pruning practice, often used as a reset button, where shrubs are cut back near the soil surface ($8$ to $16\,\text{inches}$) to stimulate new, healthy growth.

Crepe Murder

A slang term for the improper, indiscriminate topping of Crepe Myrtle trees that destroys their natural architecture.

Old Wood

The previous season's growth; many spring-flowering shrubs flower only on this wood.

New Wood

The current season's growth; plants such as Callicarpa (American Beautyberry) flower and fruit on this wood.

Suckers and Water Sprouts

Vigorous, undesirable shoots growing from the base or trunk of a plant that are typically removed to improve form and reduce crowding.

Topping

An unacceptable pruning practice where the top of a tree is cut back indiscriminately, leading to poor health and structural issues.

Codominant Leader

Also known as a double leader, this occurs when two main stems compete for the central axis of the tree and should be pruned for better structure.