Hand Pruning Versus Shearing
Shearing has its advantages and disadvantages. Some of the advantages of shearing are that it is faster and easier to create the desired shape for the plant. The challenge with shearing all the time is that you can create a hollow shell in the plan where the foliage becomes so dense and thick on the first two outer layers of the plant that no sun or air movement can reach the plant. This causes insects who normally do not feast on plants to feast on them and fungus can attack. Shearing this way over time makes plants susceptible to insects and disease.
The proper way to handle some plants is to hand prune them. By using hand pruners, you can thin out and open areas so that air and sunlight can get through. All plants should have six inches of density in their foliage, instead of being two inches. The density occurs because the outer layer is the new growth that occurs directly from the shearing. For more information on hand pruning or shearing, call 770-722-3699 or email us at Hayes@TurfandArborCare.com.
