Rigor/Relevance
Framework
LESSON PLAN
Knowledge
Area and/or Course Horticulture
Lesson Title Pruning Evergreens
No. Periods 1 (73-minute period)
6
5
4
3
2
1
C
D
Assimilation
_______
Adaptation
___X____
A
B
Acquisition
_______
Application
_______
1
Teacher Goal(s):
1. Students will be able to articulate the rationale for
pruning evergreens
2. Students will demonstrate pruning evergreens
2
3
4
Application
Objectives:
The student will be able to (TSWBT). (Oregon Skill Set numbers in parentheses at the
end of the objective statement.)
1. Identify characteristics and examples of evergreen plants (Plant 01.02.03.a)
2. Compare and contrast evergreen plants with deciduous plants (Plant 01.03)
3. Articulate the effects of improper pruning on evergreen plants (Plant 01.03)
4. Demonstrate proper branch removal in order to prevent tree injury (Plant 02.01.02.c)
5. Research the methods of pruning a specific evergreen plant (English IL.HS.RE.05)
State Standards met by Objectives:
Subject
Strand
1. Plant
01.02.03.a
2. Plant
02.01.02.c
3. Plant
01.03
4. Plant
03.03.05.b
5. Agriculture
02.01.01.02
6. Agriculture
7. English
06.02.04.01
EL.HS.RE.05
Eligible Content
Identify the components and the functions of
plant stems
Design, implement and evaluate a plan to
maintain optimal conditions for plant growth
Apply knowledge of plant physiology and energy
conversion to plant systems
Demonstrate proper techniques to control and
manage plant growth through mechanical, cultural
or chemical means
Increase reading skills through reading challenging
material
Identify general workplace safety hazards
Match reading to purpose--location of information,
full comprehension, and personal enjoyment.
Knowledge: 1=awareness; 2=comprehension; 3=application; 4=analysis; 5=synthesis; 6=evaluation
Application: 1=knowledge in one discipline; 2=apply knowledge in one discipline; 3=apply knowledge across disciplines; 4=apply knowledge to real-world predictable situations; 5=apply
knowledge to real-world unpredictable situations
5
Materials, Equipment, Audio-Visual Aids:
1. Whiteboard
2. Masking Tape
3. Internet access
4.
5.
References:
http://cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/618.pdf
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/evergreens.html
Anticipatory Set/Introduction/Motivation/Interest Approach:
Review Yesterday’s Lesson:
Students will be asked to talk about pruning fruit trees. The teacher will ask questions like:
1.
What went wrong and what went right when pruning the fruit trees?
2.
Were any mistakes caught before they happened?
3.
How many people made improper cuts?
4.
Who can tell me why we prune fruit trees?
Set:
Students will be shown a picture of a mature landscape. Four to five minutes will be given for
students to analyze the picture. It will be a competition with the rest of the class to identify
plants, compare and contrast differences in plant material, and describe the layout of the
landscape.
After students have completed the activity the teacher will have students write their notes about
the picture on the board. The point which will need to be emphasized are the fact that there are
both evergreen and deciduous plants in the landscape.
Transition (Use Objective):
Identify characteristics and examples of evergreen plants
Compare and contrast evergreen plants with deciduous
Articulate the effects of improper pruning on evergreen plants.
Demonstrate proper branch removal in order to prevent tree injury
Research the methods of pruning a specific evergreen plant
Strategy – Includes Teacher
Activity, Student Activity,
Questions/Answers and
Objectives
Subject Matter Outline/Problem and Solution (Application
Points Lace in Throughout Lesson) (Modeling, Guided
Practice, and Content)
Objective #1
“What are Evergreens”
(Q) What does the name
evergreen tell you about this
category of plants?
(DEF) Evergreen trees and shrubs keep their leaves year
round.
(A) The plants are green year
round. Always-green
Pines, firs, rhododendrons, arborvitae, spruces, and many
more plants which remain green year-round.
(Q) What are some examples
of evergreen plants?
(A) Pines, firs,
rhododendrons, arborvitae,
spruces, and many more
plants which remain green
year-round.
Objective #2
The teacher refers back to the
anticipatory picture and asks
students to count about how
many evergreen trees and
shrubs are in the picutre
color, smell, color, size of
overall plant, etc. color,
smell, color, size of overall
plant, etc.
(Q) Using your definition of
evergreen; What do you think
deciduous plants mean?
(A) Deciduous is the opposite
of evergreen meaning it loses
its leaves or needles during a
part of the year
Students will be out in the
landscape of the school or
“What is the difference between evergreen and
deciduous?”
(DEF) shedding foliage at the end of a growing season.
A deciduous plant (tree or shrub) will go dormant (its rest
period) beginning when either the weather starts becoming
colder (40’s to 50’s) or when an area experiences a hard frost
(temperatures dropping below 32 degrees, usually overnight). It
will begin to lose its leaves at this time. Blooming plants have
specific periods when they bloom. They aren’t always in bloom.
Many will bloom either in spring or summer.
“Evergreen” is used to describe plants (trees/shrubs) that do not
go dormant and retain their leaves or needles. This generally
refers to pines, spruces, boxwoods, junipers, yews and holly.
Broadleaf evergreens are plants that retain leaves (very thick
leaves) year round. But, they do shed the leaves periodically.
This will apply to plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons and
land lab and be able to look at photinia.
differences between deciduous
and evergreen plants and
write down the differences to
bring back and share with the
class. Differences could
include branch size, branch
color, smell, color, size of
overall plant, etc.
Objective #3
“How to Prune Evergreens”
(Q) As with most plants, is
improper pruning likely to kill
the plant?
Evergreens require a different manner of pruning than
other landscape plants. Although a plant is not likely to
die from improper pruning, it is important to note that
most evergreens cannot replace lost growth the way that
deciduous plants can.
(A) No, but improper pruning
can permanently affect the
looks of a plant
(Q) If a branch is removed
from a pine tree, how long
will it take for the branch to
grow back?
(A) The branch will most
likely never grow back.
(Q) What are some of the
reasons for removing a branch
from evergreen trees?
1. Dead material or
disease
2. Improper crotch angle
3. Growth in wrong
direction
What is the first step in
pruning evergreens?
Removing dead material
So while other landscape plants might be able to outgrow
an errant pruning job, evergreens can suffer permanent
disfigurement.
Individual plants should be assessed for pruning needs.
Evergreens that have been sheared into formal or artificial
shapes require frequent pruning. However, many
evergreens may rarely need pruning.
As with other plants, the first objective of pruning is to
remove any dead or damaged wood. Prune back to a
branch that is pointed in the direction that you want the
new growth to go, always making sure to cut back into
healthy wood.
The term evergreen is used to refer to many different
kinds of plants and all are not pruned in the same
manner. Trees such as spruce and pine have very different
pruning requirements than shrubs such as yew and
juniper.
If frequent pruning is necessary to keep plant growth in bounds
and prevent interference with a walk, driveway or view,
consider replacing the plant. Evergreen trees and shrubs are
pruned according to species growth characteristics.
(Q) How many central leaders
should an evergreen tree
maintain?
Central Leader Information
(A) 1
On evergreen trees, avoid pruning the central leader (trunk).
This results in the development of multiple leaders that are
prone to wind and snow damage.
(Q) What happens to a single
leader is removed?
If the central leader is killed back, select one branch to become
the new leader and remove potential competing leaders.
(A) Growth will lower and
wider making the tree not
grow in natural forms.
Never allow co-dominant trunks (trunks of similar size) to
develop. If multiple trunks begin to develop, select one and
remove others.
Teacher will show students
outside what the central
leader is and show students
evergreen shrubs which are
absent of a central leader
For structural integrity on evergreen trees, all side branches
should be less than half the diameter of the adjacent trunk (less
than one-third is preferred). If the diameter of a side branch is
too large, prune back part of the needled area to slow growth or
remove the branch entirely back to the trunk.
Objective #4
“Removing plant material”
(Q) Why is it important to
properly remove larger
branches from evergreen
trees?
New needles will not grow from branches without needles.
When a side branch is removed on an evergreen, cut back to the
trunk just outside of the branch collar (the enlarged connecting
area on the trunk around the limb).
(A) So the trunk is not
damaged
(Q) How close to the tree
should cuts be made?
(A) Close to the trunk without
damaging the branch collar
Teacher will show students
what the branch collar is
(Q) Should a cut be made
straight through a large
branch or using several cuts?
(A) Several cuts should be
used to prevent the branch
Do not cut into or otherwise injure the branch collar. Do not
make flush cuts. Remove the branch in a three cut method.
from ripping bark off the tree
and minimizing damage
Teacher will demonstrate the
three cut method for large
branches
In groups, students will mark
cuts on a larger branch using
masking tape and to minimize
the possibility of damaging
the tree.
The teacher will go to each
group’s tree and double check
the masking tape markings
(Q) Why is it so important we
double check and triple check
our cuts on evergreen trees?
(A) The branches will not
grow back
Cut 1. Coming out 12-15 inches from the trunk, make an
undercut a third to half way through the branch.
Cut 2. Moving a couple inches out past the 1st cut, make the
second cut from the top, removing the branch. This double cut
method prevents the weight of the branch from tearing the
branch below the branch collar.
Cut 3. Make the third and final cut just outside the branch bark
collar. Take extra caution to not cut into or otherwise injure
the branch bark collar.
Objective #5
“How to Prune”
Students will be assigned to a
specific evergreen tree to
research, and write up a short
paragraph about how to
prune and draw a figure to
represent how the cut would
look.
Spruce, fir, and Douglas-fir generally need little to no pruning.
On young trees, pruning is useful in situations where bushier
new growth is desired. Since these species produce some side
buds, branch tips can be removed encouraging side bud growth.
Prune late winter or early spring.
The teacher will grade the
writing on:
1. Grammar
2. Complete Sentence
structure
3. Correct content
The teacher will grade the
drawing on:
1. Effort
2. Correctness
3. Color
Objective #3 Review
To review the research
assignment with the students,
the teacher will ask questions
about the types of cuts to use
of evergreens, and effects of
improper pruning.
(Q) Generally, should
shearing cuts be made on
evergreens?
(A) No
(Q) What happens when
shearing cuts are made on
evergreens?
(A) Dense foliage growth and
weak interior growth
(Q) If evergreen shrubs are
pruned back too far; What can
happen?
(A) Permanent empty spot
could occur
While shearing is quick and easy, it is not recommended,
especially after mid-summer. Shearing creates a dense growth
of foliage on the plant’s exterior. This in turn shades out the
interior growth and the plant becomes a thin shell of foliage.
Frequently sheared plants are more prone to show needle
browning and dieback from winter cold and drying winds.
Any pruning that tapers in towards the bottom of the plant will
lead to thinning of the lower branches due to shading. To keep
the bottom full, the base of the shrub needs to be wider than the
top portion. It’s common to see junipers and arborvitae that
have overgrown their space.
Since new growth comes ONLY from the growing tips,
branches cannot be pruned back into wood without needles. If
the shrub is pruned back to bare wood, it will have a permanent
bare spot.
For shrubs that are getting too large, it is better to prune them
back as they begin to overgrow the site. Pruning back of
severely overgrown shrubs generally gets into wood without
needles. Consider replacing severely overgrown plants with
smaller cultivars or other species. Junipers and arborvitae
growing in the shade are rather intolerant of pruning due to slow
growth rates.
Closure/Summary/Conclusion (Tie in Objectives)
The teacher will go through the lesson and discuss each objective.
Identify characteristics and examples of evergreen plants
Compare and contrast evergreen plants with deciduous
Articulate the effects of improper pruning on evergreen plants.
Demonstrate proper branch removal in order to prevent tree injury
Research the methods of pruning a specific evergreen plant
Evaluation: (Authentic forms of Evaluation, Quizzes, or Written Exam)
Verbal check for understanding to include the following questions:
1. How is pruning evergreens different than pruning apple trees?
2. Why is it important to carefully prune large evergreen branches?
3. How long will it take an evergreen branch to grow back after it has been removed?
4. What is the importance of the central leader?
5. How do you prune a juniper?
Assignments: (Student Activities Involved in Lesson/Designed to Meet Objectives)
1. Daily Calendar
2. Compare and contrast sheet for evergreens and deciduous plants
3. Evergreen research paragraph and drawing
Lesson Reflection
This lesson went faster than the fruit tree lesson, mostly because we didn’t have to recover
information about types of pruning cuts. I feel like students have a good grasp on what they have
learned about pruning cuts and how to make them throughout the work sample so far. If I were to
do it over again I would try and find a way to take a field trip into the forest where a forester
could tell us about pruning evergreens in relation to forest fires. I think it would be very
beneficial for students to see how 150 years ago, small forest fires used to come through and
burn the lower branches, but now that fire has not been a large player in the ecosystem and
branches sometimes reach clear to the ground fires have intensified.