Pruning forsythia - how and when to do it

To decorate their own garden, especially in the spring, most experienced summer residents and beginners in this business plant forsythia on their plot. Knowing when and how to prune the plant is important to get a sturdy shrub with beautiful, lush blooms.

When to trim

Not every gardener knows how to properly form a forsythia bush and when to prune the branches. The plant grows in the form of a shrub, which has a large number of shoots. Pruning forsythia after flowering is one of the main agricultural practices in its cultivation.

Forsythia bush before summer pruning

In the wild, the bush is 2 meters wide and 3 meters high. If the plant is grown for landscape design, then a growth restriction of about one and a half meters is applied. Immediately after planting, this shrub requires shaping in order to create the desired size and shape in the future.

When to prune forsythia? Most pruning is done after flowering. This technique helps the bush to remain well-groomed for a long time. Before flowering, you can also form a shrub, this should be done in early April or late March. During this period, there are still no flowers on the plant and the shoots are easily visible. You can clearly see dry and damaged branches, it is necessary to remove those that unnecessarily thicken the crown. If forsythia looks extremely bad, then pruning is allowed even during flowering.

It is also important to know how to form a forsythia bush in early fall. At this time, the procedure must be carried out especially carefully, not to cut too many branches. Otherwise, the plant will lose all immunity in winter.

For those who do not have the opportunity to prune regularly, dwarf forsythia varieties are suitable. Cutting a forsythia bush of an ornamental variety takes a minimum of time. This shrub grows extremely slowly, and its height in adulthood does not exceed 100 cm. Dwarf plants require only sanitary pruning, the main annual is not necessary. Only once every three years, dwarf varieties are cut off by a third. If you want to get a beautiful plant, you can form a dwarf forsythia into a ball.

Shrub ball formed

Pruning rules

You can cut any shrub, including forsythia, with your own hands, if you know the basic rules for this procedure and follow the instructions:

1. All diseased and weak branches must be removed. It is not difficult to identify such shoots, they will be dry, with cracked bark, thin, with bare areas.
2. Branches that are very close to the soil are removed. This is done only if there is no need for vegetative propagation of the bush.
3. It is necessary to cut off the branches that grow deeper into the bush and thicken the crown.
4. Young branches are shortened by half or a third; last year's shoots should not be touched.
5. Cutting above the outer bud will stimulate branch growth on the outside of the crown.

Volumetric pruning of forsythia should be carried out every 5 years to rejuvenate it. With this procedure, only old branches that are at soil level are removed. After that, in the spring the bush will not bloom, but it will become strong and healthy, which will ensure excellent flowering for several years to come.

How to form a bush

Usually forsythia is planted in the form of a hedge and such a planting must be formed. In the first 3 years, the plant should not be touched.Already in adulthood, you can start pruning. 2/3 of the shoots are removed, if this scheme is ignored, the branches grow erratically, the shrub becomes thick and it will be extremely difficult to form a hedge out of it.

How to prune forsythia? Before starting work, you need to imagine how the bush should turn out in the end. If the plant does not bloom, if it grows rapidly, several pruning will be needed in the summer - in June and August. These procedures are successfully replaced by one - in September. If forsythia blooms, then pruning is carried out at the end of flowering. Additional correction is carried out at the end of the summer season, but it no longer affects growth.

Even if you want to leave a natural look to the shrub, the formation of forsythia is still necessary. This is done according to the following scheme:

1. The lowest branches or those that touch the soil should be cut.
2. Remove branches that rub against each other.
3. Cut off the shoots growing inside the crown.
4. To increase the overall illumination of the bush, you should remove the branches in its very center.

Pruning forsythia during flowering

Care after pruning

After the main pruning, which is carried out in the fall, it is important to continue further care, because there is ahead of the cold that the plant has to endure. For the winter, forsythia must be covered. Protection measures are extremely important even for varieties that tolerate cold well. You can do without shelter only in the southern latitudes of Russia. The process of protecting a plant for the winter has the following step-by-step instructions:

1. Forsythia is well watered, this is especially important if the plant was planted this season.
2. Mulch is laid on the soil around the bush in a layer of 10 cm.
3. The branches need to be pressed to the ground and pinned.
4. After that, the shrub is covered with a material that allows moisture and air to pass through, for example, often used with spunbond.
5. At the edges, the material needs to be strengthened, it is enough to lay more large stones, since the branches of the plant are quite elastic

Natural bush formation in landscape design

Before winter, you should not add mineral compositions, because the plant is preparing for rest. Fertilizers are used only in spring. If the soil is too scarce, organic fertilizers can be applied to enrich it. For mulch, you can use a ball of dry foliage covered with compost or humus.

To reduce the amount of forsythia pruning, it can be planted in a large area where the plant can reach maturity in natural growth. Forming and even sanitary pruning will not always help if the bush is sick. In this case, it is better to completely cut off the shoots, leaving about 10 cm of their length above the ground. During the season, this bush will be updated in full.

If you know how and when to cut forsythia, you will be able to grow a healthy shrub with lush flowering. The pruning procedure must be carried out regularly so as not to lose the decorative effect of the plant.