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Georgia Gardener

Tall Lanky Nandinas ------What to Do

17 years ago

I have some "Nandina" in a wooded area that I am cleaning ivy out of. They are very healthy,lanky and tall. Can they be rejevenated or pruned back to form a bush.

Please let me know. PEACE

thanks

tm

Featured Answer

mabelcrawford

7 years ago

I have about 40 Nandina Firepower down my driveway and in my garden they r my favourite plant. I prune them every year at mid or end of spring to 12" of the ground and they come back inside 4wks with beautiful new growth. I have had them probably 10yrs. photo's of my nandina's below.

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Comments (10)

Iris GW
17 years ago
Nandina cannot be pruned like other shrubs. Cut the tallest stems to the ground to rejuvenate, up to 1/3 of the total growth. New growth will sprout from the base. Repeat next year with the oldest growth and again the next year as needed.

Are these volunteers or do you think someone planted them? If they are volunteers, I'd just get rid of them. They can actually be a bit weedy in wooded areas (where birds poop the seeds).
sugarhill
17 years ago
I know how to prune nandina. It's the only thing I know how to prune, and it works. I used it on lanky nandina to produce lush nandina.

Here's what you do:
1. Prune 1/4 of the stems to the exact height you want the plant. (If you want to keep the height it is now, leave 1/4 of the stems unpruned.)
2. Cut 1/4 of the stalks to 3/4 of the height of the tallest stalks.
3. Cut 1/4 of the talks to 1/2 the height of the tallest.
4. Cut the reamining 1/4 of the stalks to 1/4 the height of the tallest.

Make sure you don't cut off all the leaves. Be prepared for it to look awful for months; however, in a year you'll have nicely filled out nandinas, and in 18 months to two years you'll have full bushy nandinas.

The other thing you should know is that nandina domestica is on the Georgia invasive species list, so make sure you cut off the blooms every year so they don't develop berries for the birds to spread. I know, I know - berries are the reason to grow them, but...
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I am in Canada Zone 5 and only in the summer months is our sunlight strong enough to promote good growth, particularly growing it indoors. Yours is even a bit weaker than mine although you have longer hours of it in the summer but your south facing window doesn't likely give any of those later hours of sun to your plant. I bet that your glass has the argon gas too, especially in the south facing windows, I have it here in my west facing ones. I am not surprised your trunk broke, it was pretty spindly for supporting all those big leaves even though it never got any wind. If you had an oscillating you could turn on the plant, even just periodically, it would help strengthen the trunk for you or it is likely to happen again. Is that pot one that hold the water in the bottom? If so, it may be keeping the roots too moist and causing root rot. Remember, you have no air currents to dissipate moisture from the surface soil or the leaves and if the plant is not actively growing its water need is also greatly reduced.
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My recommendation would be to set them out in the garden as soon as the soil is warm. For Georgia, that may be right now, but don't take my word for that. The plants will grow better outside in the ground than indoors, no matter what the size. Be sure to harden them off before setting them out in order to get the adapted to full sun and breeze. They will be very tender from growing indoors, so start by putting them outside in a partly shaded place and gradually increase the amount of sun they get over about a week's time. Keep an eye on them to be sure they don't get burned. When setting them out, if the stems are thin, it would be good to protect them against cut worms. One way is to insert two toothpicks or matchsticks in the ground close to the stems, right up against them. This prevents cut worms from encircling the stems. Jim
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celeste
17 years ago
Don't tell my nandinas they can't be pruned since they get a haircut every year. Mine are actually lush. One of my gardening buddies told me what to do and no more legs on mine.
ilikemud_2006
17 years ago
I'd recomend "shovel pruning"!
quirkyquercus
17 years ago
Invasive, and really not that attractive anyway IMO remove. If you really want to stick it to the man, replace with oakleaf hydrangeas. I say that because in Florida, the limited native habitat for oakleaf hydrangea is being choked out entirely by heavenly bamboo/nandina
davidcf
17 years ago
I cut my Firepower nandina to the ground every 2 or 3 years in the spring, and they come back beautifully.
windhorsepixy
7 years ago
They may be invasive in the south & east - but not here in the West (NW - SW). Plus they have nice dought tolerance for our yearly period of months basically without any rain. Light, airy Asian look. Love, love them.
1818 Federal (7bEC)
4 years ago
@mabelcrawford-* so lush!
killerv
4 years ago
if they aren't getting enough sun, they are just gonna come back lanky and tall and never fill out.

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