How to properly prune viburnum in autumn (regular and decorative)
Several types of viburnum are grown in garden plots. Regular viburnum is planted for its healthy berries, while decorative varieties are planted for its spectacular flowers and foliage. This is a fairly plastic plant - it can be shaped into bushes, trees, hedges, or trimmed into any shape. There are important features in pruning viburnum that should be taken into account so that the tree pleases with its appearance and harvest.
In the article we will tell you how to properly carry out autumn pruning, what is the optimal time for its implementation, and give simple diagrams and instructions.
Why prune viburnum in the fall, what does it give?
Pruning is the most important part of caring for fast-growing viburnum. Even if you allow the plants in your garden to grow as naturally as possible, you are unlikely to be pleased with its chaotic, lush thickets. Viburnum grows up to 40 cm per season, so the issue of pruning and shaping it will definitely arise sooner or later.
Is pruning necessary?
If the growth of this shrub is left to chance, the viburnum will run wild. Without pruning, uncontrolled growth clogs the bush and the side branches become intertwined. As a result of insufficient lighting and ventilation in the middle of the bush, the branches dry out, become sick, and are affected by pests.
Attention. Without pruning, in just a few years, viburnum can turn into semi-dried, unkempt thickets that do not produce fruit or decoration. If you care for it correctly, it will decorate the garden for more than 20 years.
Optimal timing of the procedure
Cutting branches is an operation that wounds the plant, so it is performed when the active movement of juices stops, the leaves fall and the viburnum is preparing for winter sleep. This phase lasts until the beginning of spring sap flow. Therefore, you can prune viburnum from autumn to early spring.
In many respects, gardeners consider autumn pruning preferable. But not all varieties of viburnum and not every type of pruning can be done at this time of year.
When is it better to prune - in spring or autumn?
It is impossible to know in advance how winter will affect the health of the plant, whether any branches or buds will freeze, or break under the weight of snow. If you get carried away and cut out a lot of old branches, after a harsh winter you may find a completely frozen bush.
Taking this into account, try not to carry out drastic thinning pruning in the fall. It will be healthier for viburnum to overwinter as a dense bush, in which the branches will be their own protection from the cold wind.
In the fall, the main thing is to cut out the necessary minimum, which cannot be left in any case: diseased, dried out, broken branches. Be sure to cut out soft new shoots - aphids overwinter inside them, which are especially fierce on viburnum at the beginning of summer. If they are trimmed in the fall and burned, there will be no excessive pest infestation.
Important! Another nuance of autumn pruning. If an ordinary viburnum is heavily pruned in the fall, it may not bloom or bear fruit the next season, since flower buds are formed on old branches.
Decorative species tolerate autumn pruning better: they can be formed at any time.
Types of pruning
In the fall, inspect the bush and decide which of the three types of pruning it needs now: formative, thinning or sanitary.Choose the required type of shaping depending on the variety of viburnum, its age and degree of neglect.
Formative
Remove the top and some side branches. Actively shape the appearance of the plant during the first years after landings.
Viburnum can grow in the form of a bush or tree. The choice depends only on the personal preferences of the gardener and the availability of free space in the garden.
Rejuvenating
After six years, the branches stop developing and bearing fruit. Such branches (not all at once, but several per year) are cut down at the root to rejuvenate the bush.
Strong young growth from the shoots will be a replacement for old branches - leave the most suitable shoots. And in 2-3 years you will completely renew the bush. If you need to rejuvenate the viburnum completely, form a new tree from the shoots and cut down the old one.
Sanitary
It is done after harvesting, removing:
- broken branches or broken sections of them;
- sick and dry;
- not picked bunches.
Autumn pruning should be gentle; try to cut off a reasonable number of branches. Do not overdo it.
How to prune viburnum correctly
When you have decided on the type of pruning, prepare the necessary tools and read the instructions.
Required materials and tools
Treat all cutting tools with disinfectants: secateurs or loppers, garden knife and small garden saw.
Important! Choose a high quality tool. For example, the blade of a garden knife should be made of the best steel. Before work, sharpen your tools thoroughly.
You will also need garden varnish or a special putty for processing the cuts.
Trimming schemes
When forming a bush, adhere to the following scheme:
- When planting a new plant in the fall, shorten its shoots, leaving a couple of buds above the ground.Young shoots will grow from them next year, which need to be pinched at the tops at a height of 30 cm.
- Every year, select the strongest shoots from the basal shoots, shorten them by a third, transferring them to lateral branching. Cut out the rest of the growth. Repeat the procedure every year until you form a bush.
- Cut out the shoots from the formed bush, and limit the height of the main shoots as soon as they reach the desired height.
Viburnum bears fruit only on annual growths - take this into account when pruning.
Step-by-step pruning instructions
The gardener's task in the fall is to prune the viburnum so that there are enough branches left for its safe wintering, and at the same time there are not too many of them. Remove weak shoots that will not withstand the weight of snow.
- Trim each dead branch to its healthy part.
- Make the cut above the bud, towards the outside of the bush.
- If you are removing a broken side branch, cut under the stump.
- Make a cut parallel to the trunk, 0.5 cm from it.
- Cover all cuts with a diameter of 1 cm or more.
Reference. How to distinguish between dried and diseased branches after leaf fall and berry picking? The bark on them is duller, wrinkled, sometimes covered with black convex dots. If you scrape it off, it will reveal brown dry wood or rot; on healthy branches there is green living wood under the bark.
Formation of tree and bush
Viburnum produces a lot of root growth, which is removed to form it into a tree. Only the central trunk is left, and the crown is given the desired shape. The main advantage of this method is decorativeness and saving space in the garden.
It is believed that viburnum in the form of a tree often breaks, the trunk does not support the weight of the crown, and it often grows crooked.It is recommended to use supports for support.
The yield of viburnum in the form of a tree is much lower than in the form of a bush. Therefore, decorative species are often formed with wood.
Important! Choose special varieties that do not produce shoots for growing viburnum as a tree. They naturally grow into one trunk, so the only suitable option for formation is a tree.
The process of forming a bush consists of regulating the amount of root shoots. Ideally, about seven strong shoots are left, which are subsequently trimmed to the desired height and the growth of their lateral branches is directed. This crown shape is optimal for fruit viburnum, since in its natural environment it is a tall, dense bush.
How to trim decorative viburnum
Decorative viburnum variety Buldenezh does not bear fruit, and you won’t get any berries from it. It needs pruning after the end of its luxurious flowering. Treatment at other times may prevent the formation of flower buds that form on the shoots of the previous year. To give this decorative viburnum time to prepare for winter and lay new buds for flowering, prune it in summer or early autumn.
How to form a bush
The shrub lends itself well to shaping; pruning shears easily cut off viburnum wood.
The goal is for the bush to be multi-trunked and lush.
- Remove the lower branches, cut off the wilted inflorescences.
- Cut out completely thin shoots and branches growing inward.
- Try to make cuts above the node - flowers will appear from it next year.
If a hole appears in the bush when pruning, then take a closer look and find a branch on which one of the buds will be directed towards this hole. Make a cut above this bud.Next year a new branch will grow from it, which will cover the unsightly place.
Trimming Features
Depending on the age, variety and desired shape of the plant, the types of pruning performed in the fall vary.
Young viburnum
The young seedling needs to take root well. After planting, shortening the shoots and pinching out the young shoots for two years, you can allow it to grow without formative pruning. Start basic procedures in the third year.
Old
An adult bush or tree needs rejuvenating and thinning pruning. Cut off shoots of the second order that create excessive density and grow vertically upward. Branches growing down and inside the bush must be removed. And also intersecting, tangled branches.
Stambova
Trim the side shoots, shortening them to the same length, so that none of them stick out of the resulting shape. Give the crown a regular modeling haircut. Remove all growth that appears below and at the roots.
Processing of sections and further care
After the pruning procedure, almost all care for viburnum involves processing the cuts. Before covering the cuts, spray with a solution of copper sulfate and let them dry. If pruning was done in early autumn in dry weather, water the plant.
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How to properly prune a peach in the fall and why it is needed.
Simple and clear instructions for pruning remontant raspberries in the fall for beginners.
Conclusion
Pruning garden viburnum is a specific procedure that requires the gardener to have certain skills, knowledge and abilities.Carry out all the necessary types of pruning regularly and at the right time, and then the viburnum in your garden will look attractive all year round. It will delight you with luxurious flowering and an excellent harvest of bright scarlet healthy berries.