The bright yellow spring fairy tale of blooming forsythia stands or falls with an annual pruning. If there is no pruning, the flowers become rare and the ornamental shrubs become old within a short time. With detailed instructions and background information, this tutorial illustrates when and how to cut the picturesque heralds of spring correctly. You will learn the perfect cutting technique for the maintenance cut and rejuvenation cut. Tried-and-tested tips will familiarize you with revitalizing aftercare and protect you from common mistakes.

Forsythia is also often cut for the vase

Table of Contents

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  1. Why cut?
  2. The best time
  3. maintenance cut
  4. taper cut
  5. The perfect cut
  6. Fertilize
  7. cutting profile
  8. The 3 most common mistakes when pruning forsythia

    9. Pruning guarantees lush blooms - that's why pruning is so important

    With a flowering period between March and May, forsythia are the classic spring bloomers among ornamental trees. They already created their flower buds in the summer of the previous year and overwintered dormant. The long-awaited, golden-yellow flowers unfold even before the green leaves sprout.

    your richest abundance of flowers put gold bells on the two-year-old long shoots and their one-year-old side branches on. Only in mild wine-growing areas and gardens with a suitable microclimate do goldbells also bloom on the annual long shoots. This growth behavior results in senescence within 3 to 4 years if the gardener refrains from regular pruning. In order for a forsythia to greet spring with bright yellow flowers every year, the old, faded shoots have to give way to make room for young long shoots with side branches.

    background

    Forsythia shoots

    All branches with a length of more than 10 cm are referred to as long shoots and those under 10 cm as short shoots. Along the long shoots of the first summer (see Fig. 1 below), forsythia form leaf buds, but no branches yet and only in exceptional cases do the first flower buds. On the one-year-old long shoots of the following year (see Fig. 2 below), side branches thrive, which are already bearing the first buds. The most valuable blossom wood is the short shoots that develop from the annual side branches on the two-year long shoots (see Fig. 3 below).

    This year's long shoots are still unbranched. At the end of the second summer, the increasing branching is clearly visible.

    When is the best time?

    One of the typical characteristics of the yellow heralds of spring is that they are already put on the buds the previous year. Consequently, the prudent gardener prune the ornamental shrubs after flowering. If the scissors are used before flowering, most of the buds will fall victim, resulting in a disappointingly sparse flowering period. This choice of date conforms to the provisions of Section 39, Paragraph 5 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act. It states that care and maintenance cuts are permitted during the closed season from March 1st to October 1st.

    If it is a radical rejuvenation cut - as will be explained in detail later in this tutorial - the legal regulations must be observed. However, this circumstance does not pose a problem, since from a botanical point of view winter is the best time of year to plant an old shrub.

    Instructions for the care and maintenance cut

    In the course of the first 3 to 4 years, forsythia form a framework with up to 12 strong lower shoots, on which the long, flower-bearing shoots with numerous, lushly flowering side branches develop. At the end of the flowering period of the third year, we recommend the first care and maintenance cut. From this point on, the older ground and long shoots lose a lot of vitality, so that they tend to age. Furthermore, skeletal shoots from the very first hour hinder the sprouting of fresh ground shoots, which are essential for the growth of fresh blossom wood. How to cut the forsythia correctly:

    • Cut off withered flower shoots
    • Thin out 2 to 3 of the oldest shoots as shown in the figure below
    • Either cut back close to the ground or shorten to a strong, young side branch
    • Cut off all stunted shoots or shoots that are directed towards the inside of the bush at the base
    • Cut off heavily branched, broom-like twigs down to a one- or two-year long shoot
    • Remove the weaker shoots from long shoots that are too close together

    By doing some of the Thin out the oldest, bare shoots, the forsythia bush experiences continuous rejuvenation. Thanks to this pruning care, you will never be confronted with the problem of putting the ornamental tree on the stick because it is completely aged.

    tips

    As a beginner in professional forsythia pruning, are you wondering how you can differentiate the branches according to their age? Simply mark the shoots with rings of different colors from the first year. Over the years, you'll get a practiced eye for a branch's developmental stage and can do without the markers.

    digression

    promote branching

    A pruning improves the rapid rooting of young forsythia and contributes to lush branching. To do this, cut back all main shoots by two-thirds between November and March. On this occasion, weak and damaged shoots are removed. However, this measure significantly affects the first flowering period.

    You can move the pruning to a date in April or May if you want to enjoy the first flowers.

    Taper Cut Instructions

    If a forsythia is not pruned for many years, the flowering shrub turns into an impenetrable undergrowth without any noteworthy flowers or leaves. Thanks one excellent cutting tolerance from Goldglockchen you don't have to throw in the towel. Instead of clearing the ornamental wood, stimulate the growth of fresh shoots with a gradual rejuvenation pruning. The older and more bare an ornamental tree, the more intermediate steps there should be. Here’s how to do it professionally:

    • Rejuvenate senile forsythia in stages over 2 or 3 years
    • The best time is in late winter before flowering on a frost-free day
    • First stage: remove the bottom shoots except for the 4 strongest, which are cut by half
    • Result: new long shoots sprout directly from the ground
    • Ideally, young long shoots will also sprout from the shortened old shoots
    • Second stage: shorten the 4 to 8 most vital young shoots to different heights, remove all other young shoots
    • Result: a new basic structure is formed from one-year-old long shoots with side branches
    • Second or third stage: Cut off the 4 old shoots just above the root disc, provided they are not carrying any new long shoots
    • Result: Development of a harmonious shrub crown with one to two year old long and short shoots that are flowering for the first time

    When choosing which shoots to remove, please note whether they still have fresh side branches or not. If a lateral, one- to two-year-old branch sprout from an old scaffolding shoot, cut back to this point and not to the ground. If no new long shoots form from the rootstock at all after the first stage in the course of the summer, it is better to replace the old forsythia.

    This is how the perfect cutting technique succeeds - instructions for beginners

    If you shorten long, weak or old shoots on your forsythia, please always cut in short distance to a bud. A distance of 2 to 3 millimeters guarantees rapid sprouting and rapid wound healing. If the cut is made too close to the growing point, the bud will dry up. If you leave a stub that is too long, there is a great danger that the shoot will gradually die off at this point and the wound will not close. Rotting wood offers pathogens a perfect target.

    The ideal pruning is done at a short distance from a bud. Position the scissors or saw at a slight angle so that the cut leads away from the bud. Please don't leave butts.

    If old or excess shoots have to be pruned, please cut to Astring. To do this, look for a small bulge located between the stem or main shoot and the side shoot to be removed. This astring contains the vital, dividing tissue that must not be injured so that the wound heals properly. Position the cutting tool at a slight angle so that rainwater can run off quickly. Again, no stub must be left to cause trouble for the astring as it gradually rots back.

    digression

    The best cutting tool

    The right tool is the key to success when pruning your forsythia. The basic equipment includes the one-hand secateurs for branches up to 2 cm thick, optionally with a bypass or anvil function. Two-hand pruning shears should be ready to cut shoots that are 2 to 3.5 cm thick. The handy folding saw has proven itself in practice to cut thick shoots inside the bush with a diameter of more than 4 cm. For cuts the size of a 2 euro coin, you will need a knife to smooth the edges of the wound. Important: Grind and disinfect the blades please before and after each use. The most common reason for the spread of diseases and pests on garden plants is dirty cutting tools.

    Fertilizing optimizes the cutting result - tip for aftercare

    Following the care and maintenance cut, forsythia do not take a long break. Rather, the ornamental trees are tackling the floral preparations for next year's blossom festival. In the course of the summer, fresh long shoots thrive and the most valuable blossom wood sprout on the previous year's shoots with further short shoots. By late summer, goldbells have positioned all bud sites. So that the growth process does not come to a standstill due to a lack of nutrients, provide the busy goldbells with an organic fertilizer.

    Distribute 3 liters of mature compost and 100 grams of horn shavings per square meter of bed area. Please rake in the fertilizer lightly and water again. Forsythia in the bucket receive vital growth momentum by adding a liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water.

    Important facts in a nutshell - cutting profile

    The specific growth behavior of forsythia dictates the expert approach to pruning. If, in the midst of editing, you have any doubts about what is going to happen next, keep these important facts in mind. The following profile summarizes all aspects that are relevant for exemplary pruning of forsythia:

    • Growth: Broadly upright, deciduous flowering shrub
    • Growth height: 200 to 300 cm, dwarf varieties 100 to 150 cm
    • Growth rate: 20 to 30 cm per year
    • Flowering time: between March and May, depending on the variety
    • Special feature: flowers appear before the leaves
    • Budding: in the summer of the previous year
    • Blossom wood: biennial long shoots with one-year lateral short shoots
    • Exceptions: in locations with mild winters, already on one-year-old long shoots
    • Winter hardiness: frost-resistant down to - 20 degrees Celsius
    • Cut compatibility: very good
    • Toxic content: slightly toxic

    The low toxin content of forsythia is due to various alkaloids and saponins. This circumstance is relevant for home gardeners who suffer from allergies. As a precaution, we recommend wearing gloves in this case to avoid direct contact with the plant sap when cutting.

    frequently asked Questions

    Cutting dwarf forsythia - what should you pay attention to?

    For the small garden and large tub, nurseries offer forsythia varieties that remain at a height of 100 to 150 centimeters. Very short shoot sections between the individual buds are characteristic of the slow-growing ornamental trees; called internodes in technical jargon. This growth results in dense, floriferous branching that doesn't require annual maintenance pruning. At intervals of 2 to 3 years, we recommend cutting back half of all branches by a third in order to keep flowering. You can use this opportunity to thin out overgrown or stunted shoots on Astring.

    When and how to cut a forsythia hedge?

    Forsythia has won a place among the most popular hedge plants as a blooming herald of spring. In warm, sheltered locations, the one-year-old long shoots are already blooming, followed by the biennial shoots with numerous side branches. With a regular care and maintenance cut, as explained in this tutorial, you can effectively prevent balding. In contrast to the pruning of a solitary forsythia, choose a day in June or July as the date, because growth has passed its peak at this point and the well-groomed appearance is preserved for longer.

    When pruning, you should ideally aim for a trapezoidal shape with a broad base that tapers towards the crown of the bush. This ensures that sunlight penetrates into the interior of the hedge and stimulates buds to grow there.

    The 3 most common mistakes when pruning forsythia

    Forsythia, which is only a shadow of itself, can often be found in ornamental gardens and parks. As a result of neglected pruning, the formerly flowering ornamental trees have turned into leafless and flowerless thickets. It is primarily the following three mistakes that are responsible for the floral dilemma. The following overview names the omissions by name, points out the consequences and gives tips for correction:

    error consequence correction
    Cut in winter Loss of most buds, almost complete failure of the flowering period cut immediately after the end of the flowering period
    not cleared densely branched undergrowth of over-aged, bare ground shoots, few flowering shoots at the edges, arching, spreading long shoots with few flowers at the shoot tips Rejuvenation pruning in winter, then cut off the oldest shoots on the ground every year, regularly thin out dead wood
    radically rejuvenated in one go no fresh shoots, forsythia dies Rejuvenate senile shrub in 2 to 3 stages
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    tips

    In the tutorial you can read that forsythia buds in the previous year. Consequently, the ornamental trees are among the ideal suppliers for magical branches of Barabara. On December 4th Saint Barbara celebrates name day. This is the deadline for cutting off branches on forsythia and spring-blooming fruit trees. In a water-filled vase on a sunny, warm window seat, the branches are in full bloom just in time for Christmas Eve.

Category:

Vegetable garden