Have you noticed scraggly or dead branches in your trees and shrubs this Winter? You can prune during the winter, but just need to be aware of a couple of things. On this episode, you'll learn why you should prune, how you can still prune during this time of year, what to look for, and what not to do. By the end of this episode, you should have a much better understanding of how and why you can prune during the winter months. 

Welcome! 

"The Do's and Don'ts of Winter Pruning." 

What pruning is and how to do it this winter ...  

Redirecting energies when pruning. 

Of course, the old cliché "timing is everything" holds true even when pruning. 

Refer to 3 pre-qualifiers before you prune. They are: 

1. Timing of flowering, 
2. Coldest temperatures, and 
3. Plant health. 

 By the way, these Do's and Don'ts follow our 3-Pillars of Pruning System, which we are getting closer to publishing as an eBook, so keep an eye out for it in the next month or two. For a primer,  The "3 Pillars of Pruning" you can click here! 

If you would like to get a primer on other garden maintenance tasks you should be doing, you click on the link in the show notes to read our garden maintenance task post.  

So to prune this winter: 

• DO prune if you see any dead or dying plant tissues. 
• DO prune if you also see rubbing or crossing branches in the plants canopy. 
• DO Prune if a plant needs to be shaped or reshaped. 

• DON'T prune any plant that is not healthy enough.  
• DON'T prune any plant that hasn't finished flowering. 
• DON'T prune if the temperatures in your local area are still too cold. 
• DON'T prune if your plant is stressed. 

Of course, these do's and don'ts can be species dependent based on ….. 

For plants that bloom multiple times during a year ... 

Some things to always keep in mind when pruning any time of year are: 

• Never cut more than 1/3 …... 
• Llike to keep the natural form of the plant ... 
• Before you make your pruning cut, track ... 

Check out our tool list of reviewed and recommended tools by reading our posts called the Best Pruning Tools for 2019 and the  7 Best Garden Tools for your Winter Pruning Needs! A link for both of these will be in this episodes show notes and on this episodes webpage. 

Thanks for listening!  

Other episodes at www.spokengarden.com/category/diy-garden-podcast/.  

Email us SeanandAllison@spokengarden.com . 

  Until next time, see ya in the garden!