When renewal pruning is required, how close to the ground should the plant be cut?

When renewal pruning is required, how close to the ground should the plant be cut?

• A. 12-18 inches
• B. 4-6 inches from the ground
• C. 0-2 inches
• D. 6-8 inches

Answer: (B)

Renewal pruning aims to rejuvenate an overgrown shrub by cutting back the old wood to stimulate a flush of new growth from the base. Cutting to about four to six inches above the soil strikes a balance: you remove most of the oldest, woody growth while leaving enough living tissue at the crown to produce vigorous new shoots from the root zone. This height encourages a dense, healthy new framework without completely removing the plant’s structure. Cutting almost at soil level (0–2 inches) risks removing too much cambium and can stress or kill the plant; cutting higher (6–8 inches or 12–18 inches) leaves too much of the old, tangled wood and reduces the vigor of regrowth, so renewal will be slower or incomplete.

Renewal pruning aims to rejuvenate an overgrown shrub by cutting back the old wood to stimulate a flush of new growth from the base. Cutting to about four to six inches above the soil strikes a balance: you remove most of the oldest, woody growth while leaving enough living tissue at the crown to produce vigorous new shoots from the root zone. This height encourages a dense, healthy new framework without completely removing the plant’s structure. Cutting almost at soil level (0–2 inches) risks removing too much cambium and can stress or kill the plant; cutting higher (6–8 inches or 12–18 inches) leaves too much of the old, tangled wood and reduces the vigor of regrowth, so renewal will be slower or incomplete.