When is the best time to prune osmanthus trees?

Osmanthus tree pruning time

Osmanthus trees can be pruned three times, mainly in March and April in spring, October and November in autumn, and January and February in winter.

Early spring pruning: Before the osmanthus tree sprouts new buds in early spring, you can prune it once, mainly to cut off the dry, sick and weak branches, and then cut off the top 3-5 cm of the main branch together with the new buds. This can promote the growth of more new branches, making it grow more lush.

Winter pruning: In winter, the osmanthus tree will enter a dormant period and grow slowly. It is not easy to be injured by pruning, so it can be heavily pruned. You can first cut off the branches that are not growing well, shorten the branches that are too long, and thin out the branches that are too dense. This will be more beneficial to its growth next year.

Osmanthus tree pruning method

When pruning young osmanthus trees, it is enough to keep a 50-60 cm main trunk and 3-5 side branches, and the rest should be cut off. Pruning young trees not only ensures nutrition, but also forms the basis for the development of beautiful plant shapes of osmanthus trees. Proper pruning can make the osmanthus trees bloom early and have good ornamental effects in the early stages.

The apical dominance of the sweet-scented osmanthus tree is very obvious, and the main trunk grows faster than the side branches, so when pruning, the main trunk should be pruned heavily, and the side branches should be pruned lightly or not at all. In addition, the sick and weak branches, overcrowded branches, overgrown branches and inner branches should also be pruned away to make the sweet-scented osmanthus tree lush and beautiful. Mature sweet-scented osmanthus trees do not require major pruning, only appropriate shaping and pruning to maintain a beautiful tree shape.

Sweet osmanthus trees have a strong ability to sprout, and old stumps should also be pruned. The pruning method is similar to that of mature trees. In addition, old stumps need to be pruned back every 2-3 years. Pruning is generally done 10 days before budding in early spring. Before pruning, apply a fertilizer mixed with less than 5% urea and potassium dihydrogen phosphate. When pruning, cut off 2-3 year old branches and overly dense branches, and make sure the cut is smooth.

Precautions for pruning osmanthus trees

After pruning the osmanthus tree, a certain amount of water and nutrients need to be provided, because the osmanthus tree needs to grow new buds, and the new buds consume a lot of nutrients. If the nutrients are insufficient, the buds that grow will be weak and thin, and the leaves will be deformed. For fertilizer, choose multi-element fertilizer.