When is the best time to prune Osmanthus fragrans

Overview of Osmanthus fragrans

Osmanthus fragrans blooms all year round and has a strong fragrance. It has a strong aroma in summer and autumn, and a slight fragrance in spring and winter. It likes a warm, humid and sunny environment. It is shade-tolerant and has a certain degree of cold resistance, but is not resistant to severe cold. It is suitable for planting in high and dry terrain, humus-rich, fertile, moist and well-drained sandy soil.

Osmanthus fragrans pruning time

Early spring pruning: When the Osmanthus fragrans grows new branches in early spring, around March or April, it can be pruned. The old, sick and weak branches and leaves can be pruned off, and then the top 3-5cm of the main branch together with the new buds can be cut off. In October or November, after it blooms, all the dead flowers and diseased branches should be cut off.

Winter pruning: In winter, Osmanthus fragrans enters a dormant period and grows very slowly, so it is not easily injured by pruning. In January and February of the winter, you can cut off the overgrown and dense branches, and shorten the overly long branches, which will be more beneficial to its growth in the next year.

Osmanthus fragrans pruning method

When pruning young Osmanthus fragrans trees, it is sufficient to maintain a 50-60cm main trunk and 3-5 side branches, and the rest should be cut off. Pruning young trees not only ensures nutrition, but also provides the basis for the development of beautiful plant shape of Osmanthus fragrans. Proper pruning can make Osmanthus fragrans bloom early and have good ornamental effects in the early stages.

The apical dominance of Osmanthus fragrans is very obvious, and the main trunk grows faster than the side branches, so when pruning, the main trunk should be pruned heavily, and the side branches should be pruned lightly or not at all. In addition, the sick and weak branches, overcrowded branches, overgrown branches and inner branches should also be pruned away to make the Osmanthus fragrans lush and beautiful. Mature Osmanthus fragrans does not require major pruning, only appropriate shaping and pruning to maintain the beautiful tree shape.

Osmanthus fragrans has a strong ability to sprout, and old stumps should also be pruned. The pruning method is similar to that of mature trees. In addition, old stumps need to be pruned back every 2-3 years. Pruning is generally carried out 10 days before budding in early spring. Before pruning, apply a fertilizer mixed with less than 5% urea and potassium dihydrogen phosphate. When pruning, cut off 2-3 year old branches and overly dense branches, and make sure the cut is smooth.

Precautions for pruning Osmanthus fragrans

After pruning the Osmanthus fragrans, it is necessary to water and fertilize it in time, because the Osmanthus fragrans needs to grow new buds, and the new buds consume a lot of nutrients. If the nutrients are insufficient, the buds that grow will be weak and thin, and the leaves will be deformed. For fertilizer, choose multi-element fertilizer.