Gardeners urged to prune certain plants in November or risk 'diseases'

29 November 2023 , 05:00

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Gardeners should prune their plants in November (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Gardeners have been urged to prune plants during November to prevent the risk of 'disease' affecting flowers and shrubs before new buds begin to grow.

Pruning has many benefits, as it allows plants to flourish and gives them shape. By pruning plants, gardeners remove the dead, diseased, and injured parts of a tree or shrub and help stimulate growth. November may bring chillier weather, but that doesn't mean you can put your gardening gloves down just yet. You should make it a regular habit to follow this practice if you want plants to thrive throughout the year.

It's particularly important to stick to the act of pruning some plants during the colder months, particularly roses. An expert who posts under J.Parkers on TikTok, shared you should assess the plant for 'dead and diseased branches' saying: "Prune roses between November and late February, maybe March.

"Just when it's dormant and before it grows any new buds. Assess whether there are any dead branches, any diseased branches or any damaged ones, and remove these straight away. This will prevent further dieback. Another thing to bear in mind is any crossing branches because these may become damaged as they grow later on."

According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), apple and pear trees should be pruned every winter to control their size and keep them productive, reports the Daily Express.

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The experts said: "Start by removing any dead, diseased and damaged shoots and branches, then carry out the following steps. Remove crossing shoots that are rubbing together. Keep the better-placed, outward-facing one, unless it’s badly damaged.

"Prune out strong shoots growing towards the centre. You can leave weaker shoots unpruned. Look for any downward-growing branches low on the tree that receive little light and could cause an obstruction. Prune to a more upward-growing branch or back to the main trunk."

The experts added that the best time to prune blackcurrants is between November and February. "For newly bought blackcurrants if planted while dormant, prune these straight after planting" they said.

Adding: "Be brave and cut all the stems down to 2.5cm above soil level. This may seem drastic and means you won’t get fruit in the first year, but it will give you a better plant in the long term, encouraging more stems to sprout from the base.

"In the first three years after planting, if growth is strong, give young blackcurrant bushes just a light prune in autumn or winter to remove any weak or low-lying shoots. But if growth is weak, prune hard, cutting at least half the shoots down to the base, to stimulate more new stems to grow."

Ayaan Ali