Pruning is far more than just “giving a plant a haircut." Hair is dead tissue, but a branch is a living system. When you cut your hair, it regrows from the base. When you cut a branch, you aren’t just shortening it; you're performing “surgery” that unleashes a hormone response near the end of the cut that redirects the new growth. Understanding the branch response allows you to manipulate tree structure, health, and productivity. Proper pruning cuts produce a healthy tree. Bad cuts can result in unstable new growth, disease, decay, and premature tree death.

Presented by UC Master Gardener Dorothy Abeyta