Sneak Peek
Learn Professional Pruning Techniques
Pruning is an essential horticultural skill that improves plant health, controls growth, increases flowering, and encourages higher fruit yields. This comprehensive online course explores proven pruning principles for a wide variety of garden plants, including trees, shrubs, hedges, roses, vines and fruit trees.
You'll discover how plants respond to pruning, how to choose and safely use the correct tools, when different species should be pruned, and how to avoid common mistakes that can reduce plant health or flowering.
Whether you're just starting your gardening journey or expanding your professional horticultural knowledge, this course provides practical, real-world skills that you can apply immediately in home gardens, commercial landscapes or horticultural careers.
This short course provides instruction on how to prune range of ornamental
plants as well as species like fruits and roses. Students
will learn how to assess the pruning needs of plants and learn about
good pruning practices. Furthermore, you’ll learn how to encourage
fruiting and flowering, how to create topiary and espaliers, and how to
make bonsai. Upon completion you will feel confident in your knowledge
of how and when to prune all sorts of plants.
COURSE CONTENT
There are nine lessons as follows:
Lesson 1: Introduction
- Why, when and what to prune: How pruning affects plants
- Removing broken branches, dead or diseased wood
- Controlling the type of growth
- Controlling the plant’s shape and size
- Promoting healthy, bushy growth
- Rejuvenating a plant
- Why prune?
- Pruning different species
- Timing for pruning
- What is compartmentalisation?
Lesson 2: Types of Pruning
- Cleaning out dead wood
- Stopping
- Disbudding
- Deadheading
- Pollarding
- Removing branches
- Crown cleaning
- Crown thinning
- Crown reduction
- Crown lifting
- Crown renewal
- Root pruning
- Pruning trees in general
- Pruning larger shrubs
- Pruning tropical plants
- Pruning container plants
Lesson 3: Pruning Tools and Equipment
- Secateurs
- Pruning knife
- Loppers
- Pole pruners
- Hand saws
- Trimmers
- Chainsaws
- Gloves
Lesson 4: Pruning Hedges
- Selecting hedging plants
- Establishing a hedge
- Types of hedge
- Pruning or trimming an established hedge
- Rejuvenating old and overgrown hedges
- Pruning conifers
- Other hedging techniques
- Pleaching
- Tapestry hedges
- Mazes
Lesson 5: Shaping Plants
- How to develop an espalier
- Horizontal espalier
- Oblique palmette espalier
- Topiary
- Portable topiary
- Other plants suitable for topiary
- Single-stem topiary
- Verdant sculptures
- Bonsai
- Creating bonsai
- Pruning bonsai to shape it
Lesson 6: Managing Prunings
- Composting waste
- Choosing plants for composting
- Using compost to improve soils
- Composting in home gardens
- Indore method
- Using lawn clippings
- Mulching
- How to lay mulch
- Biochar
- Chipping
Lesson 7: Pruning for Fruit Production
- Before buying plants consider the shape
- Before pruning
- Points to consider when pruning
- Pruning specific fruits
- Citrus spp.
- Pruning a bush shape
- Pruning a standard shape
- Renovating an old citrus tree
- Open vase shape formative pruning
- Plum tree pruning
- Pruning apricots
- Knowing your buds
Lesson 8: Pruning Roses
- When to prune roses
- Pruning techniques for different types of roses
- Pruning climbers and ramblers at a glance
- Pruning roses as standards
- Dead heading roses
- Rejuvenating an old rose plant
Lesson 9: Compendium of Plants - How to Prune What and When
- Summary: Basic pruning guide
- Glossary
Career Opportunities
Pruning is a valuable practical skill that can enhance your career or help you expand the services you offer in the horticulture and landscaping industries.
Gardener
Landscape Gardener
Garden Maintenance Contractor
Rose Specialist
Orchard Worker
Nursery Worker
Horticulturist
Parks & Gardens Officer
Council Parks Worker
Estate Groundskeeper
Golf Course Grounds Staff
School Groundskeeper
Career Advantage:
Adding pruning skills to your existing gardening or landscaping experience can increase your value to employers and clients, while allowing you to offer a broader range of professional services throughout the year.
Why Study with ACS Distance Education?
ACS Distance Education has been delivering learning to students around the world for over 45 years.
Our courses are designed by experienced educators and industry professionals to provide practical, relevant knowledge that can be applied in real-world situations.
Study whenever and wherever it suits you. There are no scheduled classes, allowing you to progress at a pace that fits around work, family and other commitments.
Benefits of Studying with ACS
Start at any time of the year.
Study entirely online from anywhere.
Learn at your own pace.
Practical, industry-focused learning.
Certificate of Completion awarded on successful completion.
Suitable for beginners and experienced learners.
Enrolling is Easy
Getting started only takes a few minutes.
- Select your course and complete the secure online enrolment.
- Receive confirmation of your enrolment.
- Access your learning materials and student portal.
- Begin studying immediately or whenever you're ready.
- Complete online self-tests.
- Receive your personalised Certificate of Completion once you successfully finish the course.
