Do No Harm
The Yoga Sutras teach us that the greatest virtue, which all other yogic principles bow to is ahimsa, or non-harming. This ancient principle often associated with Gandhi or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and nonviolent social change, is a wise choice for interacting with plants. Gardeners uneducated on proper pruning techniques, without an intuitive sense to listen to plants - may overprune, or improperly prune, perhaps inviting decay, disease or even death. I have been that gardener. Ignorance, lack of experience and failing to listen can carry irreversible mistakes, and plants are no less deserving of respect than humans. We need to remember that harmful pruning practices reverberate back to ourselves, manifesting in unhealthy landscapes, or unfulfilled harmony and beauty. If we make non-harming a central principle that guides our pruning practice, we will advance conservatively, and will be far less likely to inflict long-term damage.
For example we have a Prunus where we rent, which is in very bad shape due to previous pruning jobs. It's basic structure has been hacked down and is lopsided. I am not sure why this was necessary, because the tree is in the middle of the yard with no wires surrounding it, getting in no one's way; I wonder what the pruner was seeking. Gaping crevices remain where the tree tried to compartmentalize injury in it's race to shut out decay. This beautiful tree is like a veteran soldier who lost limbs during war. Yet proper pruning techniques and respect for the tree could have maintained a beautiful structure while limiting the onset of wound rot, that resulting in more longevity.
In the first image you can see the remaining stub after an indiscriminate "heading" cut was made of a lower limb. In the second image you can see some of the effects of rot, created by improper pruning cuts. The critical thing to remember is plants do not "heal" after injury - they wall off decay (a process typically referred to as the Compartmentalization of Decay in Trees, or CODIT). Also, pruning is not like cutting hair, which may be more akin to "removing deadwood". And so when you make a pruning cut you risk creating injury and opening up the plant to decay. Trees notably have four walls of defense to protect themselves from rot, which involves specialized cell production of increasing strength. It may take a couple of years for a tree to produce Wall 4 wood cells containing fungicides, which is plenty of time for decomposition to set in [1].
Properly Pruning Prunus
Pruning fruit trees can be complicated, but no so much that harm is justified. This is especially true in the case of ornamental fruit trees, where we are not making cuts to increase fruit production. Each tree has it's own personal "pruning budget" of what can be reasonably tolerated - the same way that humans can only tolerate so much stress before their health suffers.If pruning causes injury, or harm, one might ask if pruning is necessary at all. We must remember that for the sake of maintaining health it may be necessary to prune selectively - if not pruning at all will be harmful. This particular Prunus seems to have been trained early on with an "open-center" with four scaffold limbs - perhaps by weighting or bending. As a result it offers ample blooms, so what need is there to prune for anything but health? The only pruning that should have been considered would be to avoid limb breakage (such as by removing crossing branches) or "selective thinning" cuts within the canopy to increase light and air circulation [2]. The pruning budget for any tree will be smaller than you think, especially in light of the principle of nonharming.
Perhaps we might give this past pruner in question the benefit of the doubt - perhaps part of the scaffold needed to be removed due to limb breakage. Yet they still needed to be careful to cut just outside the "branch collar". The branch collar is specialized tissue at the base of each branch where CODIT cells are performed. It is an important connector between the tree's heartwood and branches, which are made of different kinds of wood. Each year as the trunk produces new wood it's rings enclose the branch collar as well as the rest of the trunk, which is why branch collars look like bulges at the base of branches. This type of wood does not surround branches, so losing a limb is not the end of the world. Yet losing a limb reduces a tree's capacity for photosynthesis, and to receive food and energy. If you cut into the branch collar you interfere with the tree's cycling of nutrients and water, and open the tree up to decay. If you cut too far away from the branch collar you do not activate CODIT as quickly so rot may overtake more tissue then necessary. Therefore you need to make a cut in the right location.
Nonharmful Guidlines for Pruning:
* The right amount: limit yourself to only removing dead, diseased and damaged wood. Other pruning cuts should be endeavor to prevent limb breakage, or thinning of the canopy. Focus energy on serving the health of the tree.
* At the right time: while this varies between species, generally seek agreeable climate, but not during peak growing season - to reduce the risk of bacterial infection. This will probably be early Spring. Do the research.
* In the right location: make pruning cuts just outside the branch collar to collaborate with the tree's CODIT process. Again, research best practices for your plant in question before making cuts.
* In the right spirit: ask yourself what your true intentions are for making any pruning cuts whatsoever, take your time, and listen deeply. Remember that less pruning is less work, which may be better for all.
Contentment, Non-Grasping and the Middle Ground
Other principles from the yamas and niyamas may be brought in for consideration. Santosha (contentment), reminds us that every plant has it's own unique beauty and purpose, which is probably not for pleasing our own personal aesthetics or hunger requirements. If we can accept the beauty of each particular plant we will be more likely to be content with it as it is, rather than making drastic, possibly harmful impact. Aparigraha (non-grasping) is related to santosha wherein we don't need to push our own agenda on the plant and make it give us what we want. Also if we can share the plant's abundance with other species, we let the plant exist in relationship to all. Brahmacharya invites us to take all actions in moderation, or in other words to respect pruning budgets. As well as only making the right amount of cuts, at the right time, in the right location, in the right spirit. This offers the best chance for maintaining vitality in the long haul. Considering all these principles allows us to get into the right mindset or spirit in order to make wise choices for pruning.
Protecting the Health of the Pruner
No doubt pruning can be a lot of hard work. In our effort to protect the longevity of plants through wise pruning practices, we need to protect our own longevity. The best practice as you work is to move slowly and mindfully - pay attention to how your body and intuition is responding in your interaction with the plant. This offers the best chance for you to maintain awareness of how you are holding your body and mind as you make cuts - in order to do no harm to yourself. This goes beyond using good, clean, sharp tools, protective eye wear and gloves. Imagine that you want to be able to work with plants until old age, with as much ease as possible. You need to avoid repetitive stress or poor posture habits to keep your muscles and joints flexible and strong for as long as possible. Think of pruning as exercise and be in your body fully during the whole process, letting it be more of a meditation.
Here is where the other limbs of yoga come into play: asana, the poses, and the other four which function as gateways into samadhi or a state of enlightened bliss. Doesn't that sound nice? Consider these final yogic tips:
* Warm Up: do some gentle shoulder and neck opening to get blood and energy flowing in the primary muscles you will be using. Think of fluid movement intended to open all joints from the hands all the way into the neck and core body. Circle and rotate every joint you can for at least five minutes. Notice the energetic changes you create from simple movements.
* Move with mindfulness: be present in your body no matter what you are doing, whether it's setting up an orchard ladder, reaching for a tool, or squeezing hand pruners. Notice the waves of impact from head to location of activity, and back again, as your nervous system responds to your immediate environment. Notice where tension builds up, or where energy flows are halted.
* Rehabilitate: in our movement patterns we tend to go the path of least resistance, which is where bad postural habits develop. In your mindful movement you will notice tension and pain, and you can return to those places in the body later, with specific exercises designed to restore those areas to good form. Shoulder opening, heart opening, wrist strengthening and many standing yoga poses are great for this [3]. Give yourself an hour to explore various yoga poses.
* Rest: The best method toward longevity is to relax. Stop using your body, put it in a posturally sound position like sitting upright or laying flat on the floor, and just chill out. The more you relax the more emotional stability and mental clarity is made possible.
Works Cited
[1] "How Trees React to Wounding - CODIT". Article, still determining source.
[2] Turnbull, Cass. Guide to Pruning (Sasquatch Books, 2012)
[3] "Yoga Poses". Yoga Journal. Web. February 25, 2016. <http://www.yogajournal.com/category/poses/>.
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