MALE ANNOUNCER: Growing a Greener World is made possible in part by-- FEMALE ANNOUNCER: The Subaru Crosstrek, designed with adventure in mind, built in a zero landfill plant, so you can roam the earth with a lighter footprint.

Subaru-- proud sponsor of Growing a Greener World.

MALE ANNOUNCER: And the following-- the US Composting Council, Milorganite, and Rain Bird.

[gentle instrumental music] ♪ JOE LAMP'L [voice-over]: I'm Joe Lamp'l.

For 10 years, Growing a Greener World has told the stories of the people and the places who are making a difference in the health of our environment and the sustainability of our global community.

But as we embarked on our 11th season, life changed overnight.

So many things we took for granted would never be the same again.

Now it's up to each of us to take a more active role in not just saving our planet, but making it better, feeding our families with organically grown food, conserving vital resources, protecting natural habitats, starting in our own backyards.

Growing a Greener World-- it's still our mission, and it's more important than ever.

♪ JOE LAMP'L [voice-over]: Growing-- it is, in a word, what gardening is all about-- encouraging and nurturing new life from the earth.

There's nothing quite like seeing those first sprouts spring from the ground, watching that seedling take off and put on new leaves.

Seeing your plants mature in size as they respond to your care and the conditions you've planted them in.

And that's why for a lot of gardeners I know, and certainly for many that are new to gardening, the idea of pruning, purposely cutting off the fruits of your labor, goes against everything that we think that gardening is all about.

But the fact is, regular and consistent pruning is an important part of good plant maintenance and a skill that every gardener should have.

We've talked about pruning plenty of times over the past 10 seasons, but now with many of us spending more time at home, more time in our backyards, more time gardening, there's no better time to sharpen up your pruning skills, get comfortable with cutting back, and breathe new life into your landscape.

We've heard that pruning is important, but more often than not, we're paralyzed into doing nothing for fear of making a mistake-- but by not pruning, that could be the biggest mistake.

We have to prune for several reasons-- to control size or shape, to remove dead or diseased branches or limbs, to improve structure, and the one that makes believers out of all of us, to stimulate new growth or flowering.

Now, cutting back or pruning to stimulate new growth, that is so counterintuitive-- but once you understand the science behind it, it's a game changer.

Take this oakleaf hydrangea, for example.

Now, this tip bud is called the terminal bud, and within the bud there is a growth suppression hormone called auxin.

As long as that hormone is there, it's signaling the side buds to remain dormant, but once I make the cut, the suppression hormone is gone.

In response, these former dormant buds begin to grow rapidly, and for every one cut, I get two branches.

It really is addition by subtraction.

And that's just one of the facets to pruning that can make it so intimidating for beginners and veteran gardeners alike.

It's part science, part art form, and it can take a lifetime to truly master.

Rick Smith spends all day, every day related to pruning plants, just as he has for nearly two decades.

He's built his entire business on doing nothing but pruning-- coaxing the very best out of existing plant material and improving the overall health of established landscapes by simply knowing when, where, and how to make strategic cuts with little more than a pair of hand-held pruners, and recently I spent a day doing a ride along with Rick for some tricks of the trade.

OK, Rick, so another day in the life for you, right?

RICK SMITH: Yes, sir.

JOE LAMP'L: Tell me what we're doing here.

RICK SMITH: So this is the Walker's residence, and they want an estimate on what to do, because it's a hot mess here.

[laughs] So I'm here to give them some advice on what to do.

From what I'm seeing here as we walk, is that there's things that we can prune now, there's things that we're going to have to wait until the beginning of spring or late winter.

And that's called a rejuvenation, and rejuvenation is where you're reducing the size of a plant by half to two-thirds of its existing size.

You can't do it now, because it's the middle of summer and there's not enough time for plants to generate new growth and harden up before winter time.

JOE LAMP'L: And that's really important, because if you don't give them that time as they're leafing out and it's getting cold, then that can be some quick dieback, and then you subject that tree or shrub to potential pests and disease issues.

RICK SMITH: Correct.

And also one of the misconceptions that people have is that if you're going to prune plants hard to rejuvenate plants, you would want to do it in the fall.

That's far from the truth.

JOE LAMP'L: Right.

RICK SMITH: Because one, if you do it in the fall, especially in October or November, you're going to be looking at bare sticks for October, November, December, January, February, March and April-- seven months.

JOE LAMP'L: So Rick makes a list to be typed up for the homeowner as a proposal.

Actually, he makes two lists-- one list is for long-term items, like rejuvenation, to be done at the right time in the plant's growth cycle.

The other list is for immediate recommendations.

It is good to know what shrubs and trees take pruning better than others, and Holly's are certainly a good example of ones that can really take a good cut back.

RICK SMITH: Yes.

JOE LAMP'L: Yeah.

RICK SMITH: Absolutely.

On the left front of the house, I would recommend removing the parsoni junipers.

Even though we don't do that, I would recommend them hiring someone to replace these.

There's too much dead and they're too high.

On conifers, especially where you have all this green, once that green disappears and it goes into sticks here, there's no buds.

JOE LAMP'L: Right.

RICK SMITH: So if you rejuvenated this plant down to right here, it'll never come back out.

JOE LAMP'L: Right.

RICK SMITH: There's just so many things you have to ask yourself.

JOE LAMP'L: Yep.

And sometimes homeowners that move into a house inherit what was here, and then they have to make that decision, which is why you're here making these recommendations.

RICK SMITH: Anybody who has a pair of pruners can just go and make a cut and say they're pruning, but that's far from the truth.

Whenever you're pruning a plant, every cut that you make has a purpose.

There's multiple reasons why we prune ornamental trees and shrubs.

One of the big ones, especially with shrubs, is more symmetry.

That's where a balance results to beauty.

Also, containment-- you want to prune to where you keep a particular plant contained in a spot, so that way it doesn't outgrow it.

Also, we prune for fruit, flowers.

A banana, for an example, if you cut the bloom off a banana while it is fruiting, instead of the energy going to the bloom, the energy will go to the fruit and make bananas a lot larger.

The other reason why we want to prune is you want to remove dead branches, branches that have diseases, a small little cluster of insects.

Instead of pulling out a sprayer and spraying the whole plant when you can just make one cut and remove the insects.

Because remember, when you're pruning, it's all about the health of the plant.

JOE LAMP'L: Rejuvenation, for example, is great for the overall health of a plant, even though it can look ruthlessly destructive.

RICK SMITH: Ms. Walker, come on over here and let me show you what I mean by rejuvenation.

MS. WALKER: All right.

RICK SMITH: On this holly right here.

JOE LAMP'L: Rejuvenation usually has to wait until spring, but these are up against a huge brick wall with lots of sun exposure.

That will produce enough of a microclimate to encourage fast growers hollies to bounce back quickly.

That gives the homeowner, and us, a chance to see the rejuvenation process from up close.

RICK SMITH: If you can see all of this right here, we're going to bring it down by half to two-thirds.

When we're pruning it, not only are we bringing the height down, but we're also going to be pushing the sides in as well.

And then as I'm going, I'm also going to be removing dead wood that's in here as I go.

But the thing that you want to do is, we're recreating a frame, and that frame is going to produce a lot of foliage to make a new shrub, basically.

All right.

All right, see, you got all this dead here, and all this dead is because the plant has been sheared.

So long shearing is where you're using a mechanical or hand where you're going like this.

You see all these straight cuts right here?

MS. WALKER: Uh-huh.

RICK SMITH: This is where it creates so much shade that the foliage is so thick, sunlight can't get into here.

So it starts pretty much burning back all the foliage, because it can't get any light and you just end up becoming a dome, and that's the reason why we're doing this.

MS. WALKER: So pruning keeps it healthy?

RICK SMITH: Yes.

JOE LAMP'L: It may look drastic, and often rejuvenation is.

It can be shocking for a homeowner to see.

But in matters of weeks, these Needlepoint Hollies will have bounced back with new growth, look far more in proper proportion, and be healthier plants, too.

No doubt, a properly pruned landscape looks lush, healthy, with everything in proportion.

Our next stop is a property Rick's been maintaining for years, and the difference is obvious.

Well, Rick, this property looks great.

I can tell that you have spent a lot of time here.

RICK SMITH: Yes, sir.

And it takes a long time to get it to look like this, but once it's like this, it's easy to stay like this.

JOE LAMP'L: Right.

RICK SMITH: The needlepoint hollies here, for an example, we've rejuvenated earlier.

This is an example of what it's going to look like with new foliage on it.

It takes a month and a half, two months.

JOE LAMP'L: Oh, Rick, we didn't get very far up the driveway before something caught your eye with these lower petalum.

What is it?

RICK SMITH: What bothers me is that way the height is at the top of the bank, versus the bottom of the slope where you're standing.

The height here is to my chest.

The height where you're standing is up to your shoulder, close to your hat.

The ideal when you have a slope is to use a guide-- like, for an example, my belt here would be perfect.

So I'm standing here at the side of the plant and I'm going to walk down, and as I'm walking down, that's what the height of the plant should be like.

So that way when you're looking at it from this point of view, it has a nice flow coming around.

The technique is that you have this branch right here.

JOE LAMP'L: Uh-huh.

RICK SMITH: The branches that come off the branch, they're called laterals.

JOE LAMP'L: Right.

RICK SMITH: One thing you always want to take into consideration is that when you prune to a lateral, like this for an example, you don't want to leave a nub-- a nub is that-- because a lot of plants that you prune, it would die from here to right here.

JOE LAMP'L: Yeah.

RICK SMITH: The other thing you don't want to do is you is you just don't want to be randomly coming over here and doing this, because you might as well just shear it, which is what you don't want to do.

JOE LAMP'L: Right.

RICK SMITH: So if you're going to prune to a lateral, prune to a lateral where you're not leaving a big nub and you're redirecting the growth.

When you're redirecting the growth when you're pruning, it's a good habit to realize or take into consideration that the branches are going to grow toward the outside the plant, not toward the inside the plant, because you don't want to have the plant so thick.

So if you prune it where it's natural, like this, have a consistent method where all the foliage is going out this, you're going to have a really nice, healthy, natural looking plant.

JOE LAMP'L: So look for that point on the branch where you have that outward lateral growth?

RICK SMITH: Yes.

JOE LAMP'L: As with any other gardening task, the right tool for a job like this is essential-- and I certainly have my favorites.

Now, pruners come in two basic styles.

Bypass pruners that work very much like scissors where you have a very sharp blade that passes by a hook.

Now, this isn't a bladed section, but it cuts cleanly through live tissue, and that's when you want to use bypass pruners-- through live tissue.

Now the other type of pruner is called an anvil pruner.

Anvil pruners are used to cut with dead wood, because it has a blade that lands onto a plate and it basically crushes what's between it.

So an example of that would be dead wood and an easy cut.

Now, anvil pruners are wonderful for dead wood, but you would not want to use anvil pruners on live tissue because it crushes.

It can cause damage to the remainder of the live plant, and you don't want that.

Now, I could use bypass pruners to cut into dead wood, but it doesn't cut as well-- it's harder and it's not as clean.

But you never want to use anvil style to cut live or new tissue, because what's remaining won't be a clean cut and it will expose it to pests and diseases.

So you always want to use your faithful bypass pruners to make that clean cut.

Just a little pruning practice can help every gardener feel more comfortable as they attempt to tame those plants and shrubs that may have gotten a little out of control.

That newfound confidence might even have you looking at the largest plants in your yard with an eye toward downsizing.

But be careful-- that can lead to one of the biggest pruning problems out there.

RICK SMITH: One of the largest mistakes that I see is people topping trees.

In the world of horticulture, that's taboo.

There's a few reasons why you don't do that.

One, it's definitely not healthy for a tree.

Two, it's a safety issue.

Wherever you top that tree, a lot of new growth is going to form.

That growth is going to get larger, and at the same time, where you made that cut is going to start decaying.

So that wood's going to rot even though you have sucker growth going around it turning into large branches, when that decay starts going further into the cambium, and then they start breaking off.

JOE LAMP'L: They're everywhere-- trees disfigured and dying from years of abuse.

Known as "tree topping," it's the most harmful tree pruning practice known.

Yet, despite more than 25 years of spoken and written information by countless other like-minded professionals, it remains a common practice.

According to the International Society of Arbor Culture, the most common reason given for topping is to reduce the size of a tree, either because it's become too large for the property or a perception that it may pose a hazard.

Ironically, topping is neither a viable solution to reducing size or hazard.

When a tree is topped, up to 100% of the leaf-bearing crown is removed.

And since leaves are the food source for any tree, the absence of the leaves can lead to temporary or even permanent starvation.

As a defensive action, the starving tree responds by rapidly sending out multiple shoots from latent buds below each cut.

This action is the tree's survival mechanism to put out a new flush of leaves as soon as possible.

But if the tree doesn't have sufficient stored energy reserves to respond in this way, it will seriously harm the tree, even leading to its premature demise.

As new shoots grow to desperately replace their food making factory, they do so rapidly, sending up numerous water sprouts.

In some species, these new shoots can grow up to 20 feet in a year.

Trees will grow back rapidly, and they don't slow until they reach about their original size.

The new growth that rapidly ascends from latent buds just below each cut is only anchored in the outermost layer of the parent branch.

These weak attachments will never have the structural integrity of the original branch, and can break off easily-- even years later, when they are large and heavy.

When the occasion arises and it becomes necessary to modify the height or spread of a tree, consult or hire a professional arborist.

An arborist will determine the type of pruning that is necessary to maintain and improve the health, appearance and safety of your trees.

Certified or professional arborists won't use tree damaging spikes unless they're removing the tree completely.

They won't list tree topping as a service in the phone book, and they'll never recommend it to you as a solution, because it's not, That's not to say, of course, that there aren't times when removing a tree limb isn't warranted.

Now, you should never hesitate to call in a pro if you're unsure or if the job feels too big.

But if you can safely reach the offending branch, this is a job you can easily add to your weekend to-do this, with a few special rules to keep in mind.

So if you have to make a pruning cut, there's a right and a wrong way to do it.

Now in this branch there's some exposed bark, and that's an open invitation to pest and diseases, and it's a good reason to get rid of this branch.

But let me show you some common mistakes.

A lot of times people will go out a few inches and cut all the way through.

There's two problems with that-- first of all, you leave a nub.

Nubs aren't good, because trees don't have a good way of healing themselves with nubs.

There is a flare here along the trunk, that's called the branch collar.

That's what you're after, and that's where you want your ultimate cut to be.

Now, when we go out here and we take that nub and we cut all the way through, the other problem with that is that the weight of the branch eventually is going to break away from the cut, and as it breaks away, it takes with it the under bark.

The problem with that is, the bark comes all the way down, usually along the trunk, and now we have that problem again of exposed bark-- more pest and disease issues.

So let me show you the right way to do it, and it's called a three-step cut.

The first cut is about six to 12 inches out from the trunk, and it's from underneath, about a third of the way up.

Cut number two, a few inches out from that.

Now, when you go all the way through this time, as the branch breaks away, the bark will go with it, but it will stop at that undercut.

That's the whole reason for that undercut.

Now you had this stub, and that's OK, because we're about to remove that.

Here we come back to the branch collar, and again, that's that flared area.

Now as we cut all the way through this time and it breaks away, there's not enough weight to cause a big tearing problem-- it'll be a clean break.

Which reminds me, a lot of people ask me-- do I put that pruning paint on here?

You know, that black stuff that's kind of like tar to seal it in?

The answer is no.

Nature is a much better healer than we are.

If you do that, you're going to seal in some moisture-- that can actually make the problem worse.

So don't even bother, let nature take its course.

Make the right cut and this tree is good to go.

Topping trees may be a no no.

But there's another plant out there that can benefit greatly from the practice, but it may be one you don't immediately think about pruning, per se.

Indeterminate tomato plants, those are the ones of our classic favorites.

It's the ones we most often grow.

They're also the ones that keep on growing all through the season and putting on fruit basically until the last frost.

Now, you have two options.

If you have the room and the inclination, you could just let these grow and you'll be fine.

There's no harm in that.

But if you're trying to tame the size, that's when you want to consider topping.

And if that's the choice you make, here's how you do it.

You decide where you want to make the cut, and typically you look for that last fruit set at the highest point where you're willing to cut above that.

So let's take this particular branch right here.

Now, if this were being supported by other branches it would still be growing up, but it's the outer branch and so is starting to flop over, which is another reason why you might want to make the cut.

Once this continues to go over and the weight of exterior fruit pulls it down, it's going to kink this vine, and you really don't want that because that can cause later problems.

So in looking at this, here's that last fruit set that I think is the best place to make the cut.

And as I make the cut, I look for a safe place just above it that still provides some foliage relief to prevent or avoid sun scald, and that's very important.

So anywhere from here on out is a good place to make this cut, and then I'll look for areas around it where I can still protect this fruit-- and this is gone.

Now, this is counterintuitive for gardeners, because you see, I have more tomatoes right here, and more flower buds means future tomatoes later.

But at the same time, it's going to take a long time for these to mature, and timing wise, I may not even be able to make it before the first frost comes on.

So either way those are gone, and now I have my last fruit set.

OK, so now I'm looking at how to protect this from sun scald.

So this looks like an important leaf to maybe block some of the sun's direct rays, but I need to also cut this.

So I'll cut it just above that leaf set right there to provide some shade.

And its neighbor-- looks like this is an important leaf, so I'll leave that one.

OK, that looks a little more tame and about all I'm willing to cut at this point.

But the other benefit of making those cuts is that for every one that you make, you basically have a new plant.

If you want to stick it in a glass of water, in a couple weeks it will have enough roots to stick it in the ground.

But what I do, I take the cutting and I stick it directly into the ground and just keep it watered.

It's a great way to propagate some of your favorite varieties.

But either way you want to go, if you've got the room, just let it go.

But if you want to control its growth and size, go ahead and tame it with a little bit of topping.

I am not shy about pruning, but after spending a day with Rick, well, it caused me to look at it and all my plants in a whole new way.

And I understand that pruning can seem counterintuitive to cut back all of that growth we worked so hard to produce, and yet pruning is one of the most important tools we have in our arsenal-- for not only promoting new growth, but the overall health and beauty of nearly any plant in our landscapes and garden.

And just like learning the proper soil requirements or the sun exposure or getting that watering amount just right, learning how to properly prune your plants is actually one of the most important components for growing a greener world.

If you'd like to learn more about what you saw today, we'll have that information on our website under the show notes for this episode.

And the website address, that's the same as our show name-- it's GrowingGreenerWorld.com.

Thanks for watching, everybody.

I'm Joe Lamp'l, and we'll see you back here next time for more Growing a Greener World.

MALE ANNOUNCER: Growing a Greener World is made possible in part by-- FEMALE ANNOUNCER: The Subaru Crosstrek, designed with adventure in mind, built in a zero landfill plant, so you can roam the earth with a lighter footprint.

Subaru-- proud sponsor of Growing a Greener World.

MALE ANNOUNCER: And the following-- the US Composting Council, Milorganite, and Rain Bird.

[gentle instrumental music] ♪ MALE ANNOUNCER: Continue the garden learning from the program you just watched, Growing a Greener World.

Program host, Joe Lamp'l's Online Gardening Academy offers classes designed to teach gardeners of all levels, from the fundamentals to master skills.

Classes are on demand any time.

Plus, opportunities to ask Joe questions about your specific garden in real time.

Courses are available online.

For more information or to enroll, go to growingagreenerworld.com/learn.

[funky techno jingle] ♪ ♪