How to Trim Bushes With Apical Dominance

If you look closely at a typical shoot on a bush, you will see the tip of it holds a bud. This is known as the apical or terminal bud, and it dominates the rest of the buds on the shoot. Scientists believe that apical buds release a hormone, or auxin, that causes the axillary or lateral buds — located where the leaves join the stem — to remain dormant. How you trim bushes with intense apical dominance depends upon what you want from the bush: taller or wider growth. Keep in mind that apical dominance is temporary. Some bushes suppress growth until the following season, while others allow it during the same season but later.

Pruning shears

Instructions

- 1
  Determine the best time to prune the bush. Spring-flowering bushes are generally pruned after they flower, while summer-flowering bushes are best pruned during the dormant season. Consult with your county cooperative extension agent if you have any doubts about when to prune the bush.
- 2
  Encourage the bush to produce lateral growth by cutting shoots 1/2 inch above a bud that is pointing in the direction in which you want the bush to grow. For instance, because rosebushes require good interior air circulation, rosarians prune shoots to an outward-facing bud. This encourages the new shoot to grow out, not toward, the middle of the plant.
- 3
  Suppress lateral growth when pruning by allowing some apical buds to remain on the bush. This encourages the plant to grow taller.

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