How to prune silk cotton wood

When to prune the silk cottonwood

The silk cotton tree can be pruned in all four seasons. Generally, less pruning work is done in spring and autumn, and the main pruning is done in summer and winter.

How to prune the branches of the silk cotton tree

After the silk cotton tree sprouts, the branches and buds sprouting on the trunk are removed, leaving branch buds every 10-30 cm in height according to the spiral interactive method, retaining the top buds, and removing all other branch buds. When the branches and buds retained on the trunk grow to 10-15 cm, they are topped or twisted. When the seedlings stop growing and have an obvious main trunk, the prototype of the silk cotton tree has been formed.

The first step is to prune the main branches of the silk cotton tree. The plant grows very fast, and sometimes there are many main branches that emerge during branching, which affects the overall opening angle of the crown. Generally, 3-4 main branches can be retained, and then 0.6-0.8 meters can be left depending on the height of the trunk, which can save more nutrients.

Then 1-2 secondary branches can be left on each main branch, totaling 6-8 branches. The length of the secondary branches is generally 0.5-0.6 meters. After the tertiary branches grow, each secondary branch retains 2 tertiary branches. The tertiary branches can be allowed to grow to form a natural crown. After such layer-by-layer pruning, the crown of the silk cotton tree will naturally form its sense of layering, and the landscape effect will be perfectly displayed.

Silk Cottonwood Pruning Tips

The silk cotton tree can be lightly pruned when new shoots sprout in spring, and withered or dense, aging branches can be pruned to keep the plant shape neat and beautiful. It can be heavily pruned during the winter pruning period, and thinning and shortening work can be done according to the growth characteristics of the plant.

When pruning the silk cotton tree, you need to cut off diseased and insect-infested branches, dead branches, weak branches, overly dense whorled branches, leggy branches and excess drooping branches to reduce the loss of nutrients so that it can grow better.

Tips for pruning silk cottonwood

Two years after the large silk cotton tree seedlings are planted, they can be slightly pruned, mainly to cut off the large side branches that affect the growth of the main trunk, and also to cut off all side branches and sprouts within one-third of the lower part of the seedlings.