Contact a local agricultural extension office, a tree nursery, or an arborist for information on evergreen diseases to look out for in your area.
To be extra safe, also wipe down your pruners when moving from one tree to the next. When you’re cutting branches that may be diseased, you should wipe down your pruners after every snip.
Always sanitize tools before and after using them, whenever you switch trees/plants, or after you cut any part of a plant that may be diseased.
Doing so will cause less damage to the trunk and make it less susceptible to diseases.
Snip or saw the bottom half of the branch, about 12 in (30 cm) out from the collar. Snip or saw the top half of the branch, about 1 in (2. 5 cm) further out from the first cut. This will cause the branch to snap between the cuts and break off. Cut off the remaining 12 inches (30 cm) of branch at the collar. This will reduce the weight of the branch significantly, so the bark will be less likely to peel or tear.
If possible, trim the damaged leader to about 2 inches (5. 1 cm) above its lowest side shoot (i. e, smaller branch that extends out from the leader). Locate a healthy branch near the leader, bend it upward, and tie it to the old leader and trunk with rope to keep it vertical. If necessary, create a splint with a scrap of wood and tie it in place. Remove the rope or splint after a year and see if the branch holds its vertical position as the new leader. If not, tie it up for another year.
Seasonal pruning only involves trimming for size or shape, though. You can remove dead, diseased, or damaged branches at any time. In most cases, spring—and often early spring—is the best time to prune evergreens. Late fall pruning is also usually OK, and there is often a period in midsummer when evergreens go semi-dormant—you can also do some pruning then.
During the spring, the candles should be tender and small enough for you to prune with your fingers. Don’t use pruners unless you have to, as they will cut through the developing needles and therefore may cause brown tips at the end of the branch.
Dead, damaged, or diseased branches should be removed in their entirety, though.
Prune them for width only if they’re tightly bunched with other trees or are encroaching on a structure such as your house. It’s best not to try to prune them for height.
You can prune them annually to control width if bunching with other trees is a problem, or if they’re too close to a structure. Attempting to prune for height is not recommended for the average homeowner.
It’s best to do this pruning in early or mid-spring, when the unbranched tips are just emerging.
Only try to make minor shape adjustments through shearing, though, as opposed to major reshaping of a fir or spruce. Otherwise, you’ll likely end up with bare or dead spots. You can use handheld hedge clippers for shearing, but make sure to sanitize them with rubbing alcohol before and after using them.
The needles on areas of new growth tend to be softer and lighter in color. Leaving some new growth behind is beneficial for the health of the evergreen.
You can shear random branch evergreens several (e. g. , 2-3) times during the spring and summer, if you wish. However, as you shear and prune for shape, make sure to leave behind some of the new growth. Random branch evergreens don’t need to be shaped, and will do just fine if you let them grow naturally.
When pruning for size or shape, work with what you have instead of trying to force your evergreen into a specific look. For instance, try to find the beauty in the “randomness” of your upright juniper!
