When is the best time to prune ginkgo trees?

Ginkgo tree pruning

Shaping and pruning is an important technical measure in high-yield cultivation of ginkgo. The basic principles are: shape the tree according to its shape, prune lightly and release slowly, mainly prune in winter, combine winter and summer, and do less thinning but no scissoring.

Ginkgo tree pruning time

Small branches of ginkgo trees can be pruned, but large branches should not be pruned. Pruning can be done all year round. Generally, when the tree sheds its leaves in autumn, it is most suitable for pruning and propagation. It is also possible to bud in spring, but not as good as after autumn.

Ginkgo trees are generally pruned in summer and winter. In winter, the plants are dormant and grow slowly, so heavy pruning is required so that the stored nutrients can be concentrated, which will help the growth of new shoots the following year, making it lush and leafy.

Ginkgo tree pruning method

1. Shorten

   Shortening is a very commonly used pruning method, mainly for one-year-old branches, which can be cut shorter to promote the growth of branches and side branches. Usually the pruning length is one-third, and new buds will soon grow at the cut. In the same year, the new shoots can grow to about 30-50 cm.

2. Thinning

   If the ginkgo tree grows vigorously, with overlapping and crossed branches that affect internal ventilation and light transmission, it will need to be thinned out appropriately. Thinning should include cutting off overgrown branches, dense branches, as well as thin and weak branches and drooping branches. When the buds sprout, remove the buds with bad directions as soon as possible.

3. Retraction

   Pruning is the same as shortening, but it mainly targets old branches, and the pruning force will be greater. Generally, only half of the original branch length is retained. Thick branches can be cut to only one-third. It should be noted that the diameter of the cut should not exceed 5 cm.

4. Picking

   Pinching is necessary for any plant. In addition to controlling the height of the plant, it can also promote branch growth. Potted ginkgo also needs pinching, which can control the plant height and is very helpful for controlling the tree shape. Generally, the top buds are removed when the branches grow to 15 cm to promote secondary growth of the branches.

5. Circumcision

   Cutting the cortex of the branches of the ginkgo tree with a knife, the depth should reach the xylem, this can promote flowering and fruiting, but it is generally only used for branches that grow vigorously and are thick and strong. Although ring cutting of weak branches can also promote growth, due to limited nutrition, the fruiting effect is often not as good as that of thick branches.

Ginkgo tree pruning precautions

Large branches must be pruned during the normal planting season, but they generally cannot be shortened. In order to maintain the natural shape of the ginkgo tree, it is advisable to thin out the branches during pruning, removing the sprouting branches on the main trunk below the branching point and at the root zone, and the overly dense lateral branches on the large branches.

Ginkgo's large branches are arranged in whorls. If the large branches in the crown are dense and messy, the crossed branches and overlapping branches in the whorls need to be thinned out, but all branches in one whorl should not be thinned out to avoid increasing the distance between layers.