How to prune wintersweet

Pruning method

Single-stem pruning method

1. Pruning and pinching methods in the first year

In the first winter, select one- year-old seedlings with strong branches as the main trunk, leaving about 1750px short cut

Leave a bud under the cut in the opposite direction to the lower interface bud as the main trunk extension branch. Remove the remaining branches from the main trunk and keep the weak ones as auxiliary branches, which will be thinned out when the crown is formed.

In order to make the wintersweet bloom before it takes shape, the medium and short branches on the main trunk should be pruned in summer to promote branching. Pruning should be done once every three pairs of buds, and sometimes even when one or two pairs of buds appear. Summer pruning is generally done from March to June , and stop after July to August .

2. Pruning method in the second year

In the winter of the second year, the main trunk extension branches are pruned short, leaving a bud below the cut to change direction. In order to prevent the side branches below the cut from growing too vigorously and competing with the central branches, the two pairs of side branches below the cut buds must be cut off. The side branches left behind are only used as auxiliary branches and should not be shortened. Instead, they should be allowed to grow slowly and rapidly.

Pinching in summer controls the growth of side branches and promotes the growth of main branches.

3. Pruning method in the third year

The third winter is the same as the previous year, except that the top of the main trunk is cut off to prevent it from growing taller, and three buds staggered in different directions are left below the cut as the main branches.

In order to make it continue to grow, after the branches emerge, cut the tips to 15~500px according to the growth strength, and leave a bud at the cut to make the new branches change direction and weaken their growth.

If the upper and lower buds are left, you can cut off a section of the mother branch during summer pruning, leaving the square side buds as branch tips.

Among the three main branches, choose an oblique branch about 750px away from the main trunk and cut off the tip, leaving a side bud at the cut as a side branch. 3. Side branches on the main branch are arranged on the corresponding side to avoid overlapping.

For the other branches on the main branch, the strong ones should be heavily pruned leaving the buds at the base ; the mediocre ones should be left long, and the weak branches should be pruned back leaving 1-2 buds, and two medium-short branches will grow next year.

4. Pruning method in the fourth year

The pruning method in the fourth year is the same as before, but the second side branch is in the opposite direction.

Main branch pruning method

According to the simple pruning method for flowers and ornamental trees, cultivate three main branches and then divide them into side branches. Shorten the flower branches to 3 to 5 nodes, let the new branches grow to 10 cm, and pinch off the tips to promote flower bud differentiation.

Three-part pruning method

The plant has three main branches growing directly from the roots.

Multi-trunk pruning method

In the first year, for the clumping form, take more than three strong branches that grow directly from the roots and are evenly distributed in all directions as the main trunk, and cut them short to a length of 3 to 5 nodes.

In the second year, appropriate hoops should be placed on the main trunk to form a cluster of main branches to avoid overlapping and crossed branches.

Specific operations

Reserved backbone

Wintersweet has a strong ability to sprout, and often produces a large number of leggy branches from the roots, but these leggy branches generally do not differentiate into flower buds. Therefore, the wintersweet should retain a main trunk of about 30 cm, and then cultivate three main branches, and then grow side branches on them.

Pinching and cutting

After the crown is basically formed, in summer, the main branches and extension branches should be pinched or pruned to weaken their growth. Weak branches are supported with pillars to keep them in a vertical direction and enhance their growth. In winter, cut off 1/3 of each of the three main branches to encourage new buds to sprout, from which you can choose good side branches. When pruning the side branches on the main branches, the branches should be shortened gradually from top to bottom so that they are distributed in a staggered manner.

Shorten the side branches

Wintersweet flower buds grow solitarily at the nodes of branches and are formed by the differentiation of axillary buds of new branches grown that year. Shorten the tips of the side branches, and 3 to 4 slightly longer side branches will be formed on the upper part, and many small side branches will be formed on the lower part. These side branches are the main flowering branches and will produce a large number of flower buds.

Fruit removal, topping, pruning

After the flowers fade, on the one hand, the young fruits should be removed, and on the other hand, they should be pruned back in time. When pruning back, keep 3 pairs of buds at the base to encourage more branches of the wintersweet. You can also remove the top buds after 2 to 3 pairs of buds grow on the new branches, and repeat pinching 2 to 3 times to promote the sprouting of side shoots.

Truncation of new shoots

In late summer and early autumn, the tops of the new shoots of the year should be pruned off to allow the flower buds on the middle and lower branches to develop fully and plumply, preparing for winter flowering. Generally, 4 to 5 pairs of buds are left on a 10 cm branch.