Many a garden owner is surprised that his forsythia does not bloom in spring. Pruning the shrub in autumn is often responsible for this. It is better not to cut forsythia in autumn, but wait until after the next spring has bloomed.

It is better not to cut the forsythia in the fall but in the spring

Do not prune forsythia in the fall

Hobby gardeners who winterize the garden like to use scissors and trim all the trees and shrubs in the garden. With forsythia - whether planted as a single plant, standard tree or hedge, this is not advisable.

If you want profuse flowering, fall is a bad time to prune.

Forsythia flowers on the previous year's shoots

To know when forsythia is best pruned, it is worth taking a look at the shrub's profile. Forsythia belongs to the mesotonous plants.

Mesoton means that new shoots grow mainly from the middle. At first they grow very straight. Most flowers develop on shoots that grew the previous year.

With a heavy pruning in autumn, you remove exactly the branches that would bloom next year. That is why it is not recommended to cut forsythia in the fall.

What can you cut in autumn?

A strong pruning should be carried out in the spring immediately after flowering.

When you prune your forsythia in the fall, only remove shoots that are dead or diseased.

Of course, you can also cut off protruding branches or prune out very old shoots. But remember that with every cut you reduce the blooms of the next year.

Perform tapering pruning in winter

You should rejuvenate your forsythia every two to three years. All woody shoots are sawn off just above the ground and the ramified twigs in the crown of the bush are cut.

If necessary, you can carry out this work in the autumn. But there are better times for this too, such as winter or early spring.

tips and tricks

Even if you prune your forsythia at the wrong time, it doesn't matter. The shrub will only bloom little or not at all in the following year. It then takes a year to develop new flowering branches.

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Vegetable garden