Can Gardenia be pruned in winter?

1. Pruning purpose

Generally speaking, gardenia pruning is done in spring, but this does not mean that gardenias cannot be pruned in winter. According to the living habits of gardenia, we can perform this operation in two stages. The first is in May, June and July, and the second stage is winter. However, due to differences between the north and the south, the south cannot provide heating, so it is best for us to prune in January and February. In the north, you can prune frequently, but the amount of pruning should not be too much each time.

Why do we have to perform pruning in winter? There are two main reasons. The first is to prevent it from growing in vain and to control the height. The second is to promote its overall growth. If the top is not removed, the gardenia will continue to grow the top, the side branches will grow slowly, and it will be difficult to bloom in the second year. Of course, this is also to cut off bad branches so that it can form a good plant.

2. Pruning method

In fact, you need to be careful when pruning. Don't cut too much each time. Just remove the leaves at the top. As for the number, only use two or three pairs. In addition, there are some points to note. If it grows very vigorously, but there are branches with bad directions and poor growth, then these bad branches should be pruned off appropriately. Of course, if the branches are withered, some are infested with insects, and there are crossed and overlapping branches, they should all be pruned off. Gardenia does not bloom in winter, so we don’t need to cut off the flower buds, but this operation is necessary in summer. In addition to these methods, we can also cut off a small part of the annual branches in winter, which can make them bloom earlier next year. We can appropriately shorten those branches that have grown for two or three years. During the pruning process, we must pay attention to the buds so that the shape can be fixed.