June is the time to prune Birches

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaIndoor plantsPlant Health CareUncategorized
Written By Peter Morris

A row of lovely birches from one of our rooftop gardens !

The Trees

Birches (Genus Betula) are commonly used as an ornamental tree for container gardens. They are fast growers and are super flexible - which is very necessary on those windy rooftops ! They do well in full sun, tolerate the summer heat, and can even adapt to a semi-shade location. What’s not to like ! 

summer pruning is where it's at !


The problem

As an adaptation to cold climates, they evolved to store all their sugars in their roots over the winter. These do not start flowing again until springtime. So, if you prune them in fall or winter, the cuts do not have time to heal, and the exposed wood leaks out the sap. Sometimes profusely !!!

This loss of sap can negatively affect the tree – as all that food it had collected is now lost. It may slow the growth in the next season and since sugar is the trees’ anti-freeze – it may also subject it to ice damage over the winter. 

bleeding sap

The solution

Pruning in summer solves the issue of bleeding. It gives enough time for the cuts to heal then flush out new leaves. It’s is also beneficial since this is the hottest time of the year and it reduces the stress on the tree of having to supply all those extra leaves you removed with enough water to keep cool ! 

Even better - How about letting us prune your Birches !

Here in NYC we do this in early summer -

Call us - we know our pruning !

PLANT SPECIALISTS

GREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 53 YEARS !

Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBA

All photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK

Peter Morris

Peter was born and raised on a beautiful green island in the midst of a tropical rainforest. He was introduced into the world of plants at the age of six when his grandmother, an avid Spanish gardener herself, asked him to help her grow seeds for her pepper garden. He was hooked! By the time he was a teen, he had his own rose and orchid collection numbering in the hundreds. Botany was in his blood, and that is what he set out to study.

His passion brought him to NY in the late seventies to further his education. His tenacity allowed him to work full time at Plant Specialists while he completed a MS in Plant Biology. As a manager at the time he felt unsatisfied with his knowledge of business and business processes. Peter felt compelled to learn, so he then pursued and completed an MBA in Quality Management within a few short years.

Peter’s other passion is teaching. His natural ability is quickly consumed by our staff in all subjects in Botany, Horticulture, and Landscaping. He created an immense reference library of more than 3,500 plants providing an invaluable resource for our staff.

Peter’s breadth of knowledge and wisdom allows him to effectively diagnose the needs of plants. Sometimes just by walking into a garden he can create a prescription that fixes even the hardest issue. He is our Staff Botanist, Diagnostician, and all around Mentor. Recently, he has put his immense knowledge and skills into developing a new department that focuses on Plant Healthcare. As he puts it, “Magic through Science”. The PHC staff that surround him have avidly consumed his teachings. Substantially developing their own plant wisdom, many have taken on difficult plant health issues with spectacular results.

Plant Healthcare has been an instant success with customers! The proper treatment of insects and diseases including Organic methods has made pest control a necessity for every plant. Correcting hormonal imbalances caused by planting in containers or refurbishing soils leached of nutrients by irrigation systems are big challenges PHC has become quite comfortable addressing. The scientific approach to the complex demands of keeping plants healthy in our harsh city environment has made many a customer say WOW!

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