Simplified pruning

Pruning your plants helps them stay healthy and good looking. Pruning isn't hard--it is the process of removing either dead or unwanted leaves and branches and twigs from a woody stemmed plant. Controling the growth of your plant is a big reason to prune, but some plants grow best if allowed to grow naturally, without pruning. You need to learn the difference.

To start pruning, start with the dead leaves--just pull them off the plant, bush or tree. Dead leaves don't help the plant, unless you turn them into mulch. After you've removed the dead leaves you can start trimming dead twigs and branches. Finally, think about trimming away unhealthy branches or foilage. Also, you may simply want to prune away unwanted growth for cosmetic reasons.

For more in depth information about pruning, we're reproducing an article below from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.