To Prune or not to Prune Tall Brugmansia ?
doriswk
last year
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Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
last yeardoriswk
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Pruning A Never Before Pruned Rose of Sharon
Comments (4)Ken's right (as usual)- you can cut it to a couple of inches and it will grow back. I have several Roses of Sharon, and I love them, but they are, with all due respect, weeds. There are many flowering shrubs that need special pruning, but these aren't the ones. ROS bloom on new growth, and to keep the flower count high, you need lots of new growth, which will only come with ruthless pruning. I usually cut the strong upright branches in half or more, and the more lateral branches pretty much to stubs, as I need them columnar where they are planted. We have a row planted along our neighbor's driveway (with their concurrence) for privacy for both of us, and those I let get bigger and don't prune them as much unless a branch gets in the way. Since you are in MA, your ROS is probably not fully leafed out yet, so prune away....See MoreNew to Brugmansia - should I prune in spring?
Comments (3)I wouldn't prune any branches but you might want to trim off the foliage when you move it outside. It has a tendancy to burn when moved from inside to natural sunlight. Karyn...See MorePruning an overgrown Brugmansia
Comments (5)I live in Florida and ours grow year around, too. I cut mine back whenever they look crappy or when I can pawn the cuttings off on someone - no certain time, except when they are forming buds, which is right now. When Nov. gets here and they aren't likely to bloom again until March or May, I will whack them down to about a foot above the ground. Wherever you cut them, two branches will form. I think you can do it whenever it suits you....See MorePrune tall skinny ugly fiddle leaf fig?
Comments (6)Should I still wait until June? Yes. You'll get the largest return for your efforts if you do; and, if the tree was repotted, it needs the extra time to recover. If it was only bumped up a pot size or two, allowing time to recover isn't as important as it would be if it went through a full repot. A popular 60s song, borrowed from the book of Ecclesiastes says, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven ....", and that is very true where plants are concerned. A plant's vitality/metabolism is like a spinning top when all is well. When it's stressed, the top begins to wobble. Further stress leads to strain, and a plant that can wobble completely out of control and collapse. To minimize the risk of Mother Nature siding with the hidden weakness or flaw, (which she always does), patience is sometimes a forced requirement. Learning to work WITH your plant's natural rhythms not only makes you a better grower, it also has the added benefit of scratching that itch we all have to nurture. Just knowing you're in sync with your plants is sort of therapeutic - at least I look at it that way, YMMV. Instead of cutting off the top, why not air layer it? Lyrata comes easy from cuttings, but odds of success are still much higher by way of the layer route. I currently have several air layers going on plants that are often hard to find and expensive when you do. I'd spend the next 5 or 6 weeks making sure you have your watering down and the plant is on a good nutritional regimen. Whenever it's above 55*, I'd make sure the plant was outdoors in open shade - it will make a significant difference; but, make sure the plant is secure in the pot. If you DO want to move the plant outdoors and are concerned that the plant's ht will make it too unstable, there's your 'out' for chopping it back. The boost from being outdoors should allay concerns about recovery ....... but I'd still wait until late June to do the chop. Al...See MoreTiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
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