If it’s dead, damaged or diseased—it needs to go!

It’s time to clean out dead plant material

If you skipped cutting back perennials in the fall, now is the time to clear away dead foliage. Many gardeners wait until spring to cut back dead growth, and this is perfectly fine to do. In addition to providing visual interest over the winter, leaving dried stems and foliage can actually help plants survive the cold.

One advantage of clearing dead plant material in spring is that the decomposed stems are often easy to pull off. Anything that remains strongly attached can be cut off with shears or pruners.

When cutting back ornamental grasses, try a pruning saw instead of pruning shears. Tightly grasp a bunch of the leaves, then carefully saw through the bundle—it’s much faster.

Remove damaged plant tissue

Evidence of damaged perennials is often evident in springtime. The weight of snow and ice can break off the stems and branches of woody perennials and shrubs. Cut away damaged plant material and toss it on the compost pile.

Make sure your pruners or scissors are sharp. In addition to more efficient cutting, sharp blades make a cleaner cut that limits opportunities for disease and insect infestation.

Diseased materials need to be completely removed

Plants suffering from disease should never be ignored. In some cases, adjusting growing conditions such as light, water exposure, soil type and distance between plants help can alleviate disease. However, be sure to always remove diseased foliage to keep the problem from spreading.

To identify plant diseases check out the Michigan State University plant and pest diagnostics resource, which features pictures that can help identify problems and management tips. Some diseases can be treated, while others have no cure and experts recommend removing the diseased plant material and destroying it.

Remember to not put diseased plant material on your compost pile unless you’re sure it reaches a temperature of 150 to 180 degrees Farenheit. This is how hot the compost needs to be to destroy plant pathogens. If your pile doesn’t get hot enough, you could reintroduce the disease when you spread the compost in your garden.

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