These 3 Signs Mean You Might Have Overpruned Your Plants

These 3 Signs Mean You Might Have Overpruned Your Plants

Pruning is an essential practice to keep your plants in Pennsylvania growing healthy. However, it can be easy to get carried away and prune too much, which can cause problems for your plants. Fortunately, there are some tell-tale signs that can indicate you may have overpruned your plants. These signs include stunted growth, reduced foliage, and an increase in interior sprouting. Overpruning causes stunted growth because too many parts have been removed, causing your plants to become stressed.

If your plants don't have as much foliage, it's also another sign of overpruning. Sparse foliage doesn't just make your plants look thin, but also causes negative effects on their health. An increase in interior sprouting is also a warning sign of overpruning. It happens because your plants are trying to compensate for the loss of foliage and limbs by growing new shoots.

1. Stunted growth is a sign that you have overpruned your plants.

-One of the most common signs that you may have overpruned your plants is stunted growth. This means there is a decrease in your plant's ability to develop new shoots, leaves, or flowers. When you prune your plants, you are essentially removing parts of them, which can cause stress. If you prune too much, your plants may not have enough energy to recover and continue growing.

Additionally, overpruning leads to too much removal of foliage, which is where photosynthesis primarily begins. Cutting away too much leafy material will starve your plants because they won't be able to convert light into energy efficiently. Without enough energy, your plants won't have the resources to support new growth.

2. If your plants don't have as much foliage as they used to, you might have overpruned them.

A telling sign of overpruning plants is the reduction of the amount of foliage. After pruning, your plants will have fewer leaves because of the process. However, the long-term lack of foliage is what's problematic.

Cutting back too many leaves and branches during pruning disrupts your plants' ability to develop new leaves. This happens because there are not enough leaves to generate energy and regrow new leaves. This can be especially problematic if you have pruned your plants during the wrong time of year, as they may not have enough time to recover before the next growing season.

3. An increase in interior sprouting indicates you may have overpruned your plants.

When plants are overpruned, they may start to grow sprouts internally rather than on the tips of their limbs. The new growth will be close to the trunk and main stems of your plants or along their lower parts. An increase in interior sprouting happens when your plants attempt to overcompensate for the loss of branches and leaves by developing new shoots to try to resume photosynthesis. Interior sprouting is problematic as it can lead to an uneven growth pattern and a lack of overall structure.

Call us today to schedule our professional trimming and pruning service!

If you're looking for a company you can trust to prune your plants for you, look no further than our team at Lehigh Valley Lawn! We offer our professional trimming and pruning service to residential and commercial properties in Macungie, Emmaus, Breinigsville, and nearby areas in Pennsylvania.

You can schedule our trimming and pruning service independently between August and December. However, this service is also part of our spring cleanups, which we offer from March to April. With us, you can rest assured that we will prune your plants correctly and only remove what's necessary to avoid causing them stress. Call us today at (484) 547-8246 to schedule our professional pruning service!