overpruning
Too much trimming
Overpruning is excessive trimming of plants, removing so much growth that health or productivity suffers.
A tree that's been overpruned may fail to fruit or become vulnerable to disease.
The term extends to any context where cutting back goes too far: The editor's overpruning left the manuscript lifeless.
In machine learning, overpruning a decision tree removes useful branches along with redundant ones, reducing accuracy.
Plant tissue dying progressively
- stuntingArresting natural growth
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- shockViolent sudden disturbance
- sunscaldSun damage to plants
dehydration · vulnerability · weakness · susceptibility · decay · wilt · desiccation · starvation
Heavy-duty cutting blades
Lack of covering
- sparsenessLack of density
- starknessSevere, unadorned quality
- imbalanceLack of proportion
- disfigurementMarred physical appearance
misshapen · disproportion · awkwardness · eyesore · unsightliness · legginess · lopsidedness · blight
Food's finishing layer
- headingDirectional course traveled
- dehorningRemoving animal headgear
- pollardingCutting trees at head-height
- loppingCutting away branches
shearing · thinning · coppicing · pinching · disbudding · skirting · espalier · overtrimming
dieback
Plant tissue dying progressively
sunscald · dehydration · vulnerability · weakness · susceptibility · decay · wilt · desiccation · starvation · atrophy
shears
Heavy-duty cutting blades
bareness
Lack of covering
- sparsenessLack of density
- starknessSevere, unadorned quality
- imbalanceLack of proportion
disfigurement · misshapen · disproportion · awkwardness · eyesore · unsightliness · legginess · lopsidedness · blight · distortion
topping
Food's finishing layer
- headingDirectional course traveled
- dehorningRemoving animal headgear
- pollardingCutting trees at head-height
lopping · shearing · thinning · coppicing · pinching · disbudding · skirting · espalier · overtrimming · scalping
branches
Limbs of trees
trees · bushes · hedges · topiary · orchard · rootstock · saplings · deadwood · limbs · crown
- Gardening Mistakesoverwatering, underwatering, overfertilizing, poor drainage, crowding
- pruning mistakestopping, bad timing, wrong timing
overpruningbenign neglect
Purposeful non-intervention proving beneficial
neglect · non-intervention · letting nature take its course · inattention · rewilding