Just as people have genes which determine their height and body shape, plants have genes which determine their size and shape. I was not aware until recently that some people think that you have to trim plant or it will always continue to grow. This is not true. Each specific variety of plant has a genetically determined size. When a plant reaches its mature height it will not get any taller. This is why you should always select a plant that matures at the height that you want it to be. This way you will not have to trim it. Some plants will never get more than 1 foot tall. It is not good for a plant if you do not ever let it reach it's mature height and width. This is why you should always be sure that a plant has room to reach its mature size. Always find out how big a plant gets before you plant it. (Read the tag!!)

Plants also have hormones that control the way they grow. Each specific variety of plant has a certain way that it is meant to grow, as well as a genetically determined size and shape. Improper pruning will change the balance of these hormones and make a plant grow in ways that it is not meant to. Certain hormones called "auxins" are in the tips of the branches. When you shear a plant, you remove most of these tips, and reduce these hormones. This causes the plant to put out many new shoots often at akward angles, and not the way the plant was meant to grow. This also causes the plant to need more trimming, more often. (Just as people may behave abnormally when they have hormone imbalances.) This is why shearing is bad for plants. Topping a tree causes the same type abnormal growth because it also removes all of the branch tips. It is never good to top a tree. Shearing and topping both destroy the value of a plant. Some plants, properly pruned are worth hunderds of dollars. Topping or shearing makes then valueless.

Once you start shearing a plant, its like getting it hooked on drugs. The more it gets the more it wants. Once a plant has been repeatedly sheared, it takes a lot of time and effort to get rid of the damage, and go back to hand pruning.

Photo: abnormal growth caused by topping

Photo: abnormal growth caused by shearing

Proper Pruning Techniques

A flower is essentially a plant sex organ

Flowers are how a plant produces seed, and reproduces. A plant must have flowers to produce seeds. All plants have flowers, but some have flowers that are too small to notice.

Fertilizer Basics

Fertilizer is to plants the same as vitamins are to people. It is not a neccessity, but it will help insure your plants health.

There are 3 numbers on a fertilizer bag. The first number tells how much NITROGEN it contains.(How many parts per 100.) Nitrogen is for "shoot" growth. You should use a fertilizer with a high first number in the spring.

The second number tells how much PHOSPHORUS it contains. Phosphorus is for "fruit" and flower production. Use fertilizer with a high second number in the summer.

The third number tells how much POTASIUM it contains. Potasium is for "root" growth. A fertilzer with a high third number should be used in the fall, which is when the greatest root growth occurs.

To make it easy, just remember "spring, summer, fall",for when to use each one. Remember "Shoots, Fruits, Roots" for what they are for.

There are other nutrients that a plant needs other than these 3. These 3 are needed in the largest amounts. For a complete fertilizer, with all of the nutrients look for one that says it contains "micro-nutrients". A "time release" fertilizer will release the nutrients slowly, over time, and need to be applied less often.

10 signs that you are Seriously Horticulturally Challenged

1. You have privet, elaeagnus, or photinia as a foundation plant.

2. You don't know if you have privet, elaeagnus, or photinia as a foundation plant.

3. You have artificial flowers in your yard.

4. All of your bushes are square.

5. Your weeds are bigger than your bushes.

6. You don't know which ones are the weeds.

7. Your idea of "fixing up the yard" is mowing the grass.

8. You think dandilions make a nice ground cover.

9. Your only pruning tools are hedge shears and/or grass shears.

10. You think mulch is made with manure.

If you must admit to one or more of these signs you are spending entirely too much time indoors. You need to go outside and smell the flowers. (Real ones)

More plants die from Over doing things than from neglect. Too much water or fertilizer can kill your plants. Mulch or compost that is not properly aged can rob them of nitrogen, and kill them. If you constantly "try everything" and your plants die, relax, don't try so hard, and let Mother Nature do her thing, and you may be suprised at the results.

What is this Obsession the horticulturally challenged have with shearing everything? If it's green they think it should be sheared, usually into a square or a ball. If there are weeds, or tree seedlings or whatever growing up into a bush, they just get sheared right along with the rest! Wake up and look around! Bushes do not grow square or perfectly round! They are not perfectly smooth on top!

Clean all that garbage growth out of your bushes! Shears ruin your plants. Yes,I have some heavy-duty comercial gas shears, but I only use them on commercial properties where the bushes are already hopelessly damaged by shearing, or where there are massive hedges. I would NEVER use them in my yard! Shearing destroys the value of plants. Shears are for people who either don't know or don't care anything about plants.

A common mistake I see made by the horticulturally challenged is using black plastic in beds to control weeds. It doesn't work. It is worse than a complete waste of time and money. It causes more work, and is not good for your plants. The very worst weed problems that I have ever encountered were in beds with this plastic. Unfortunately, the weeds were the only thing that would grow there. Landscape fabrics are very little better. Next Page Home Questions? Comments? Email me at:Flowerladi@webtv.net