NOCTI Horticulture Practice Test

Pruning cuts come in three common types, each shaping how a plant responds to be more open, dense, or rejuvenated. Thinning cuts remove a limb at its origin or just outside the branch collar, which reduces size and opens the canopy for better light and air movement. This type is ideal when you want to shape a plant without creating dense opposite growth or leaving stubs, and it helps maintain a natural, well-ventilated form. Heading cuts shorten shoots to a bud or to a side branch, encouraging growth from just below the cut. This results in a bushier, more compact plant with increased branching, which is useful for creating fuller shapes or controlling height and spread. Renewal cuts remove old wood to stimulate new growth, often targeting the base or lower portions of branches. This rejuvenates a plant by promoting fresh, vigorous shoots that can take over where older growth has declined. Other practices like cutting roots or making harvest cuts serve different purposes and aren’t the standard trio of pruning cuts used to influence canopy structure, growth density, or rejuvenation.