trim it
Pruning plants in the polytunnel
Pruning is a horticultural and silvicultural practice involving the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. Reasons to prune plants include deadwood removal, shaping (by controlling or directing growth), improving or maintaining health, preparing nursery specimens for transplanting, and both harvesting and increasing the yield or quality of flowers and fruits. Gardening beginners may find pruning a plant quite difficult. Pruning a plant is where you cut back trimmings from the plant… you do this so that the plant doesn’t use its energy in growing out the branches and stems, meaning it focuses its energy on producing fruit and flowering. As I mentioned earlier it can be difficult for beginners because they don’t want to destroy their beloved plant, therefore don’t cut enough back, or they could go a bit over the top and cut back way much more than needed. Another great thing about pruning is it helps the plant to grow better and above all… makes it far tidier and nicer to look at. If your plant is in a greenhouse or polytunnel pruning is very important, so the plant doesn’t outgrow them. Proper trimming of plants and trees improves ventilation and allows sunlight to reach the whole plant giving it more energy to grow more juicy fruits. Cutting back the plant also allows more space for you to move around it to access other parts of it. Be sure to remove any weak or diseased plants as this could potentially spread to areas of the plant that can’t be removed. To keep the plant as healthy as possible do regular checks stripping it of anything that resembles mould, fungi or insects as these can be devastating to your plant.