When to prune gardenias

1. Pruning time

Generally speaking, gardenias need to be pruned twice a year, once from May to July and the other time around December. There is not much room for pruning each time. You only need to cut off a few pairs of leaves growing on the end of each branch, and tidy up the withered flowers at the same time.

In order to prevent infection after pruning, we recommend spraying a certain amount of thiophanate-methyl after pruning. The concentration of the solution should not be too high, about one thousandth is enough to prevent bacteria from infecting the flower plants through the wound.

2. Pruning of different parts

From May to July, gardenia grows vigorously. In order to prevent it from growing too tall, we should prune its leggy branches. This can increase the number of flowers, make the plant more ornamental, and benefit its subsequent growth.

Gardenia grows relatively quickly, often growing into a clump within a few months. This is not only unsightly, but also wastes nutrients and is not conducive to the growth of the flower. At this time, we need to cut off the useless parts, such as thinner branches, branches with bad directions, branches that are not conducive to viewing, or branches that are injured and not conducive to development. In addition, you should pull out the buds that are too dense, and don't leave too many on each branch, 2-3 is best.

In order to make the gardenia flowers more beautiful, the extra flower buds should be trimmed off. 2-3 more vigorous branches can be left, but some are more fragile, so it is better to simply trim them all off, or leave one well-developed flower bud. In this way, nutrients can be concentrated, allowing the flowers to grow more beautiful and strong.

3. Notes

If you want to see the flowers bloom earlier next year, you can also do some proper pruning during its dormancy, mainly pruning away diseased and insect-infested branches, withered branches, and overlapping branches, to keep the trunk growing evenly. After the dormant period is over, especially when the seeds are just sprouting, be sure to cut off the branches that do not need to grow as soon as possible to maintain the growth of the entire plant and prevent the nutrients from being too dispersed, resulting in insufficient flowering and an unsightly appearance.