How to prune Pyracantha

Pyracantha ball pruning

Pyracantha is often pruned into a ball shape to create a special ornamental landscape. When pruning, you can do it in March, April, June, July, September and October of the year.

Pruning in March and April mainly involves strong pruning to maintain the beautiful shape of the tree. When pruning in June and July, you can cut off half of the branches and buds growing on Pyracantha. When pruning in September and October, you can cut off the overgrown branches. Generally, after about 2 years of growth, the long branches on the tree will grow many short branches and flower buds, which need to be pruned to keep about 20 cm from the base of the branches. After several prunings, they can form a ball shape.

Usually, you should pay attention to cutting off the overgrown branches and overly dense branches to make the tree lush and leafy.

Pyracantha hedge trimming

Pyracantha can be used to make hedges, but you need to pay attention to the strength of pruning. If heavy pruning is done, it will have a great impact on the results next year. However, if you prune like this, there will be more fruits in the third year.

When actually pruning, the intensity of pruning needs to be determined based on the tree's vigor.

Things to note when pruning Pyracantha

Pyracantha is a fruit-viewing plant. When pruning, no matter what shape it is, the fruit is very important. Pyracantha will grow flower buds in May. If you prune it in winter, it is easy to cut off the flower buds, so it is better to prune it in June after the flowers bloom. You can cut off the overly long branches to facilitate the sprouting of new branches, allowing flower buds to grow on the new branches during the flowering season.

When pruning the fruiting branches of Pyracantha, a certain number of buds need to be retained. After the fruits are set, they can be pruned again to make the fruits swell and have a good color. When pruning flowers, the main thing to do is thinning. Because the flowers of Pyracantha are densely packed, there are usually dozens of them on one inflorescence. If you want to appreciate the flowers, you can prune a small amount on the side you use for viewing, and prune more on the back. If there are fewer flowers, prune less or not at all.