Wintersweet pruning time and method

Wintersweet is a popular ornamental tree species with its shape, color and fragrance. Many people plant wintersweet in their homes. When planting wintersweets, you should pay attention to pruning. Let’s learn about the time and method of pruning wintersweets below.

1. Pruning time

When choosing the right time to prune wintersweet, in addition to pruning after flowering, you should also focus on pruning during the dormant period, supplemented by pruning during the growing period. The pruning time is generally between March and June, and stops after July-August.

2. Pruning during dormancy

During the dormant period, the branches at all levels are mainly pruned to ensure the formation of the crown and retain the buds at the cut, leaving the left one in the first year and the right one in the second year, or leaving the inside one in the first year and the outside one in the second year. In this way, flower buds can differentiate on each branch.

3. Pruning after flowering

After the wintersweet flowers fade, pruning should begin. Most of the flower buds of wintersweet are formed on newly sprouted branches, and the shorter the branches, the more flower buds there are. When pruning, you can prune off dead branches, diseased and insect-infested branches, and overgrown branches, and then prune off all the newly sprouted branches of the year except for 2-3 pairs of leaf buds at the base of the branches. This can promote the rapid sprouting of new branches.

4. Picking

After the pruned branches of the wintersweet sprout 2-3 pairs of leaves, you can pinch off the tips, which will make the tree symmetrical and beautiful.

5. Shorten the branches

The branches of wintersweet should be pruned short immediately after they bloom every year, leaving only 15 to 20 cm on each branch. If pruning is not done at the right time, many long branches will grow, consuming nutrients, resulting in insufficient differentiation of flower buds and affecting flowering. In addition, various cross branches, parallel branches, overlapping branches, opposite branches, long branches, as well as overly dense and weak branches that affect the shape of the tree should be thinned out.

6. Maintenance after pruning

After pruning, the wintersweet needs to be maintained. Although it is said that wintersweet will not die from drought, it cannot lack water. Watering should be done in moderation, and the soil in the pot should be kept moist to provide the plant with sufficient water, especially during the flower bud differentiation period. It cannot lack water. Watering can be reduced appropriately after autumn. Wintersweet likes fertilizer. During its peak growth period, it can be fertilized once every 10 days to ensure adequate supply of nutrients and promote flower bud differentiation.

That’s it