Landscape maintenance includes watering, fertilizing, mulching, pest control, mowing, edging, winterization and pruning plants. Watering should be done frequently when plants are first planted to prevent wilting, then less as plants are established. Fertilizer should be mixed in at planting and added to established plants as needed. Mulch should be replenished as it decays. Pest control prevents damage from insects, diseases and weeds. Pruning improves plant health, appearance and controls size/shape, with timing depending on plant type. A variety of tools are used for different pruning tasks.

1. Maintenance of Landscape
22.00 Maintain newly planted plants in a
given environment
25.00 Prune ornamental plants to
maintain an attractive landscape
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2. What is landscape maintenance?
Landscape maintenance includes watering, fertilizing,
mulching, pest control, mowing, edging, winterization
and pruning of landscape plants.

3. Watering Landscape Plants
Watering should be done at planting and
frequently for a few days to prevent roots from
drying out and plant wilting. Then less often only
as needed.
After plants are established watering should be
infrequent and enough to wet soil 12”-16” deep.
Different plants have different water needs.

4. Fertilization of Landscape Plants
Fertilizer should be mixed in back fill soil at
planting for shrubs and trees and in soil bed for
annuals and perennials.
Fertilization is not usually needed for established
trees, but it should be done by making holes with
a drill or soil tube about 12” deep and at 24”
intervals around the tree at the canopy drip line
where needed.

5. Fertilization of Landscape Plants
Shrubs may need small
amounts of low analysis
fertilizer, but not late in
the growing season.
Most lawns need
fertilizer.

6. Mulching
Mulching should be done
at planting and replaced
as needed.
Mulch must be replaced
over time as it decays.

7. Pest Control
Pest control is necessary to control damage from
insects, diseases, weeds, and rodents.
For most landscape plants, pest control is done
is done by treating the beds and other areas with
chemicals to prevent weeds, insects and
diseases before planting and as observed later.

8. Mowing Lawns
Mowing lawns at the correct height for the type of grass
and frequently enough to prevent damage is a key to
maintaining lawn.

9. Edging
Edging makes a sharp
line of separation
between a planting and
the lawn.
Can be done with tools
or with an edging
material such as plastic
Edging materials should
be installed at planting
time.

10. Winterization
Prepares the plants for winter or freezing
weather.
Fertilizing early in growing season prevents soft
new growth that will die in winter, mulching,
pruning, adequate watering, and pest control all
help plants survive freezing temperatures of
winter.

11. Pruning

12. Pruning
Pruning is done to improve appearance and
health and to control size and shape of plants.
Pruning is usually done in off-seasons when
more labor is available. However, some plants
have to be pruned at specific times.
Early spring blooming shrubs should be pruned as
soon as flowers fall off so that new buds can form for
next year.
Plants that have high sap pressure in early spring
such as maples, birches, etc. should not be pruned
in the spring.

13. Pruning

14. Pruning
Damaged branches of trees and shrubs should
be removed as soon as possible to prevent more
damage to the plant.
Newly planted shrubs should be shaped.

15. Principles of Pruning
Shrubs that produce
flowers on wood grown
the previous season
should be pruned
immediately after flowers
fall off the plant.
Examples:
Forsythia
Azaleas
Spirea

16. Principles of Pruning
Shrubs that bloom on the current year’s growth
such as roses should be pruned in fall or early
spring.
Shrubs such as hydrangea and spirea require
annual pruning to thin out old dead wood
Some suckers or shoots from plant roots should
be removed to keep plant from becoming too
thick.

17. Types or Methods of Pruning
Thinning removes certain branches to open up
the plant and keep the natural shape.
Heading back removes the end section of
branches at the same height so that new shoots
make the plant thicker.

18. Types of Methods of Pruning
Renewal pruning removes old branches that are
large and unproductive by cutting them back to
ground level. It is usually effective on flowering
shrubs.
Root pruning is usually done one growing
season prior to transplanting. The general rule
is that one inch of stem diameter equals 10” of
circle diameter for pruning roots around the
plant.

19. Pruning Tools and Supplies

20. Pruning Tool Tips
Keep all pruning tools sharp and clean
Keep handles and bolt nuts secure or tight
Use caution with cutting tools. “If they cut plants,
they can cut you.”

21. Types of Pruning Tools
Pruning Saw
Has a blade with coarse
teeth
Blade may or may not
fold into the handle for
safety and storage
It will cut live or dead
limbs

22. Types of Pruning Tools
Pole pruner
Has a saw and pruning
tool on a pole to remove
branches that are up to
12 feet overhead
Power Pole Pruners have
a power saw on the end
of an extended handle

23. Types of Pruning Tools
Grass shears
Have two blades
designed to cut grass
around edges of walks or
flower beds

24. Types of Pruning Tools
Lopping Shears
Have long handles
Will cut limbs from 1” to 1
½” in diameter

25. Types of Pruning Tools
Hand shears or pruning
shears
Have a single blade that
cuts against another
piece of metal or . . .
Two blades that work like
scissors to cut limbs ½” in
diameter

26. Types of Pruning Tools
Hedge Shears
Have longer blades that
cut tender growth

27. Types of Pruning Tools
Chainsaw
Has a gasoline, battery,
or electrical powered
chain that cuts large
limbs from 3” up to the
blade length