Corona's Principles of Pruning

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Overall, shearing shrubs into uni-
form balls and transforming trees
into green lollipops should be avoid-
ed. Such pruning produces an overly
dense canopy of vigorous but weak
branches that hinders sunlight and
air from reaching into the interior of
the plant. Some species can tolerate
this, but most become more prone to
disease and breakage.
Instead, take a critical look at decidu-
ous trees and shrubs to get an idea of
where branches are headed as they
grow. Ideally, each plant should look
something like a roughly symmetrical
river and tributary system, regard-
less of which side you are viewing it
from. If there are branches that really
throw off the symmetry, they should
be removed to keep the canopy bal-
anced. Also, remove any branches
that are going to make contact with
a wall or roof of adjacent buildings or
other structures as they grow.
If branches have begun to shade a
shrub or smaller tree that needs more
light, strategically remove branches
to allow more sunlight to penetrate.
Pay special attention to trees that
are growing near the edge of dense-
ly shaded wooded areas. These trees
are quite likely to be one-sided, and
are often the first to fall when weight-
ed with snow or ice. If the branch
structure is so unbalanced that prun-
ing won’t improve the symmetry of
these trees, it may be best to remove
them entirely, particularly if they
could damage structures or bring
down power lines when they fall.
SYMMETRY AND BALANCE