prune off

prune off

To remove something superfluous, undesirable, or unnecessary (from something else). A noun or pronoun can be used between "prune" and "off." We need to prune off these dead branches to allow the tree to grow new ones in their place. As your career evolves, you'll need to start pruning less relevant work experience off your résumé.
See also: off, prune
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

prune something off (of) something

 and prune something off
to cut something off something. (Of is usually retained before pronouns.) Claire pruned the dead branch off the apple tree. She pruned off the dead branch.
See also: off, prune
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • base off (of) (something else)
  • check off
  • bite off
  • blow off
  • blow someone/something off
  • blow off the map
  • brass off
  • brass someone off
  • brassed off
  • call off
References in periodicals archive
Prune off spent flowers (deadhead) on your annuals and perennials to encourage them to continue flowering.
Because auxin is produced at the highest point of a stem, an elegant way to thwart or redirect apical dominance without having to prune off any part of a shoot is to bend it down.
That we are committed to prune off all that would cause harm to our relationship?
Elsewhere in the garden, don't prune off seed heads (an excellent food source), and leave a patch of your garden wild, or set aside a pile of logs, to encourage insects that birds can eat.
After the first flush of flowers in early summer, prune off the old flowers to strong buds immediately below the old bloom, to encourage a second flush of flowers later in the summer.
Each year you can not only decorate the tree with outdoor lights, but also prune off sprigs and branches to decorate inside, bringing indoors the fragrance of Christmas.
Each year you can not only decorate the tree with outdoor lights, but also prune off sprigs and branches to decorate inside your home, bringing indoors the fragrance of Christmas.
Her research had shown that when babies try to move but do not get the desired effect, their brains prune off that particular motor pathway, leaving them forever disabled.
Lift these and similar cold-tender tropical perennials, prune off the dying and dead foliage, dry their roots in the sun, shake off the soil clinging to their roots and place them in a frost-free location in the attic or cellar.
After fruiting prune off all the leaves from your Pineberries; it might seem drastic but it'll help them fruit next season.
We prune off most of the misshapen fruit early - the knobbly ones are very difficult to pick."
Try using them along the edges of a flowerbed or naturalised beneath a small tree or large shrub (carefully prune off a couple of the lower most shrub branches to create extra space).
You'll need to prune off affected shoots, pick up and destroy windfalls.
You'll need to prune off affected shoots, pick up and destroy windfalls and don't store infected fruits.
Each spring, prune off any deadwood above a set of actively growing buds, and be sure to trim off the flowers in late fall to prevent breakage of the fine branches over winter.