The family behind myBageecha, the Kabras, have always been close to nature, with a love for flora and fauna passed on across generations. As a cherished dinnertime story goes, the grandfather of Shishir Kabra, founder and CEO, once rescued two leopard pups from a forest fire and raised them before releasing them back in the wild.No wonder that the base of myBageecha, Kuchaman house, nestled in a quiet lane in Ahmedabad, is a unique concoction of a splash of a colours, hundreds of plants, curious artefacts and a virtual menagerie of adopted dogs, birds, cats, squirrels, a fleet of fish - and the occasional friendly neighbourhood monkey.The idea for myBageecha as born when Shishir needed easy access to a wide range of plants to grow his garden further, beyond what was offered by local nurseries. When his two sons Sharad and Saumitra returned home after spending many years in the bustling concrete jungle of Mumbai, , they resonated with this need, since it was increasingly impossible to procure suitable plants for their home by travelling to nurseries which had shifted well outside the cities.The family behind myBageecha, the Kabras, have always been close to nature, with a love for flora and fauna passed on across generations. As a cherished dinnertime story goes, the grandfather of Shishir Kabra, founder and CEO, once rescued two leopard pups from a forest fire and raised them before releasing them back in the wild.No wonder that the base of myBageecha, Kuchaman house, nestled in a quiet lane in Ahmedabad, is a unique concoction of a splash of a colours, hundreds of plants, curious artefacts and a virtual menagerie of adopted dogs, birds, cats, squirrels, a fleet of fish - and the occasional friendly neighbourhood monkey.The idea for myBageecha as born when Shishir needed easy access to a wide range of plants to grow his garden further, beyond what was offered by local nurseries. When his two sons Sharad and Saumitra returned home after spending many years in the bustling concrete jungle of Mumbai, , they resonated with this need, since it was increasingly impossible to procure suitable plants for their home by travelling to nurseries which had shifted well outside the cities.The family behind myBageecha, the Kabras, have always been close to nature, with a love for flora and fauna passed on across generations. As a cherished dinnertime story goes, the grandfather of Shishir Kabra, founder and CEO, once rescued two leopard pups from a forest fire and raised them before releasing them back in the wild.No wonder that the base of myBageecha, Kuchaman house, nestled in a quiet lane in Ahmedabad, is a unique concoction of a splash of a colours, hundreds of plants, curious artefacts and a virtual menagerie of adopted dogs, birds, cats, squirrels, a fleet of fish - and the occasional friendly neighbourhood monkey.The idea for myBageecha as born when Shishir needed easy access to a wide range of plants to grow his garden further, beyond what was offered by local nurseries. When his two sons Sharad and Saumitra returned home after spending many years in the bustling concrete jungle of Mumbai, , they resonated with this need, since it was increasingly impossible to procure suitable plants for their home by travelling to nurseries which had shifted well outside the cities.The family behind myBageecha, the Kabras, have always been close to nature, with a love for flora and fauna passed on across generations. As a cherished dinnertime story goes, the grandfather of Shishir Kabra, founder and CEO, once rescued two leopard pups from a forest fire and raised them before releasing them back in the wild.No wonder that the base of myBageecha, Kuchaman house, nestled in a quiet lane in Ahmedabad, is a unique concoction of a splash of a colours, hundreds of plants, curious artefacts and a virtual menagerie of adopted dogs, birds, cats, squirrels, a fleet of fish - and the occasional friendly neighbourhood monkey.The idea for myBageecha as born when Shishir needed easy access to a wide range of plants to grow his garden further, beyond what was offered by local nurseries. When his two sons Sharad and Saumitra returned home after spending many years in the bustling concrete jungle of Mumbai, , they resonated with this need, since it was increasingly impossible to procure suitable plants for their home by travelling to nurseries which had
Proper pruning is an art based on scientific principles of plant physiology. At its most basic level, pruning trees involves removing damaged, dead or structurally weak limbs, which will improve a tree’s health and reduce the chances of personal or property damage caused by falling limbs. More advanced pruning methods aid in improving the tree’s structure and long-term health.
There are four basic methods for pruning:
Clean: Selective pruning to remove one or more of the following parts: dead, diseased, and/or broken branches. This type of pruning is done to reduce the risk of branches falling from the tree and to reduce the movement of decay, insects and diseases from dead or dying branches into the rest of the tree. Cleaning is the preferred pruning method for mature trees because it does not remove live branches unnecessarily.
Thin: Selective pruning to reduce density of live branches. Thinning trees reduces the density at the edge of the crown, not the interior, which increases sunlight penetration and air movement.
Raise: Selective pruning to provide vertical clearance. Crown raising shortens or removes lower branches of a tree to provide clearance for buildings, signs, vehicles, pedestrians, and vistas.
Reduce: Selective pruning to decrease height and/or spread. This type of pruning is done to minimize risk of failure, to reduce height or spread, for utility line clearance, to clear vegetation from buildings or other structures, or to improve the appearance of the plant. Not all tree and shrub species can tolerate reduction pruning, so the species and plant health should be considered.
There are also certain pruning practices that are not acceptable and can injure trees:
Topping: The reduction of a tree’s size using cuts that shorten limbs or branches back to a predetermined crown limit, often leaving large stubs.
Lion’s Tailing: The removal of an excessive number of inner branches from the tree.
Rooster-Tailing: The over-thinning of palms by removing too many lower fronds. See image at left.
An understanding of the end goals lay at the heart of good pruning. Before beginning work, it is imperative that your plans include the objectives of pruning, the pruning types to be used, the size range of branches to remove, the percentage of live crown to be removed, and the location of branches.