How to master winter pruning with Henchman

Pruning is an essential job for any gardener, which when done correctly, promotes healthier and more productive growth. This annual task is not just about giving your landscape a tidy appearance - it also ensures your plants produce an abundance of high-quality fruit, branches, and blooms. Leading ladder specialist and pruning expert Henchman, has compiled a guide to cutting back plants this winter to help gardeners keep their gardens healthy all year round.

Deciduous trees and shrubs

For most deciduous trees and shrubs, winter is a season of dormancy, making it the ideal time to tackle pruning them. Carrying out this task during the winter season minimises the amount of stress the tree or shrub is put under and allows it to redirect its energy toward healing and new growth without the demands of producing foliage. With the leaves gone, the structure of the tree and shrub are more visible, making it easier to identify the correct branches for removal. It also means that come spring, the tree or shrub will be more likely to have healthy growth and development of new shoots and branches.

Use a pruning saw or loppers , such as Professional Straight Blade Pruning Saw to start cutting away smaller branches, working slowly up to larger ones. Remove dead, diseased, or damaged branches preserving the tree’s natural shape and structure as much as possible. Thin the crown to allow sunlight and air circulation and remove crowded or weak branches to improve overall health.

Proper pruning technique is crucial for a tree's overall well-being. Cuts should be clean, precise, and executed at a slight angle to encourage water runoff and prevent water accumulation. Ragged cuts or the use of blunt or unsterilised tools can slow down the healing process and increase the tree's vulnerability to disease.

Fruit trees

Fruit trees can become too tall and unwieldy if left unpruned for an extended period, so annual pruning helps manage their size, making it easier to harvest fruit and care for the tree. By selectively removing branches, you stimulate the growth of new, fruit-bearing branches and buds, leading to a more abundant harvest next season. However, there are several common mistakes that must be avoided. Pruning at the wrong time, skipping pruning for a year, or being too vigorous can all cause harm to your plants.

Timing is crucial - doing so at the wrong time of the year can have harmful effects on your fruit tree. To minimise stress and reduce the risk of disease transmission, it's best to prune during the dormant season, which is usually in late winter or early spring. Trimming your fruit tree during summer or autumn can stimulate new growth that doesn’t have time to harden before winter, making the tree more susceptible to frost and cold weather, which can weaken the tree in the long run.

Being too vigorous and removing too much material, can result in a range of issues. This can include reduced fruit production, weakened tree structure, and the potential for a slower recovery and a delayed harvest. An over-pruned, stressed tree is also more susceptible to infestations and infections. Over-pruning may even expose the tree's trunk and remaining branches to excessive sunlight, which can lead to sunscald and sunburn, ultimately proving fatal for the tree. The Henchman Pointed Fruit Pruner is designed specifically for cutting delicate fruits. The blades form a fine point, so you can easily clip the right stems keeping them looking neat and tidy. 

Rose Bushes

Keeping rose bushes well-maintained is essential to encourage healthy regrowth and vibrant blooms. Pruning them in the winter dormancy period offers several benefits. Firstly, it allows the removal of dead, diseased or damaged branches that may be harming the bush's overall health and helps shape the plant encouraging proper air circulation and sunlight penetration. This can help prevent fungal diseases and the spread of unwanted pests.

Start by removing all remaining leaves and brown, dead wood using the Henchman Professional Bypass Secateurs. Take out any crossing branches and thin or weak growth. Prune by cutting half an inch above a bud at a 45-degree angle, sloping away from it. After pruning, the rose bush will be significantly smaller and appear bare but don’t be alarmed, it will grow back stronger and quicker come the next spring.

The correct tools for the job

Working at height in cold and icy conditions can be hazardous, especially if it is not done with the right equipment and safety precautions. A secure and dependable ladder is essential especially when working at heights on potentially slippery surfaces. Henchman’s Fully Adjustable Tripod Ladders are designed to offer safe, wobble-free working conditions and minimise the risk of accidents. Each leg is independently fully adjustable to accommodate slopes, and unlike traditional step ladders which should only be used on flat hard ground, the Henchman Tripod ladder has been expertly designed to be used on soft, uneven ground. It has extra-wide, clawed feet with a large surface area that distributes weight evenly, preventing sinking and minimising slippage during wintery conditions. The tripod ladder range comes in sizes from 5” to 16”, so no pruning task will be out of reach!”

For more information about Henchman ladders and safety tips visit www.henchman.co.uk.

ENDS

ARS Professional Straight Blade Pruning Saw – RRP £38.90

ARS 300LFruit Pruner – RRP £15

Fully Adjustable Tripod Ladder – RRP from £299 

ARS Professional Bypass Secateurs – RRP £50

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Editors notes

Henchman has been a pioneer of specialist garden ladders and safe hedge-cutting platforms since 1994, when it launched its first model at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Founded by father and son duo Mike and Tom Kitching, over the past three decades the company has evolved from a small family business to the leading garden ladder brand in the UK.

Based in Wiltshire, the dedicated design team at Henchman offers a wide range of unique products created to keep customers safe on uneven terrain while working at height.

Its collection includes the cutting-edge Fully Adjustable Tripod Ladder, Fully Adjustable PRO Tripod Ladder, the Hi-Step Platform, the Wheeled Henchman, as well as a range of large capacity wheelbarrows and accessories, all designed to make gardening a safe, sturdy and enjoyable experience.

Henchman has pioneered the way in ladder safety and is the first and only fully EN131 certified Tripod Ladder on the market in the UK and the rest of the world.

From the National Trust, to the England Rugby team and Royal Households, and not forgetting thousands of gardeners, DIY-enthusiasts and professionals, Henchman helps its customers get the job done, safely.