Pruning is the practice of removing or reducing branches, buds, or roots from a plant. It is a common practice in horticulture, arboriculture, and silviculture. 

Why prune? 

• Improve structure: Remove dead, dying, or diseased branches

• Control size: Prune mature plants to control their shape and size

• Improve safety: Remove crossing or rubbing branches

• Improve appearance: Open up vistas and improve the landscape effect

• Improve health: Remove branches that are injurious to the plant's health

• Improve fruiting and flowering: Prune to increase light penetration into the tree

How to prune 

• Make pruning cuts near the base of a branch

• Do not leave a stub

• When heading back a tree, cut the leader back to a lateral branch

• Avoid indiscriminately sawing off large branches (topping)

• Avoid pruning heavily during hot, dry weather

• Do not remove more than a third of the total crown of a plant in any one year

Common pruning mistakes 

• Cutting off a branch so that its base is flush with the limb

• Indiscriminately sawing off large branches (topping)