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Pruning mock orange in the fall allows you to rejuvenate the shrub and ensure more active growth for the next season. If you follow the basic rules, pruning in the fall will be completely safe for the plant.
Is it possible to prune mock orange in the fall?
A shrub called mock orange from the Hydrangeaceae family, which is often also called garden jasmine, is prone to rapid growth. Therefore, the plant needs mandatory pruning, and it can be done not only in spring, but also in autumn.
After the end of the flowering period, shortly before the onset of cold weather, the shrub enters a state of dormancy. A video of mock orange pruning in the fall confirms that it is possible to cut it during this period - it is quite safe if you follow proven recommendations.
Goals and objectives of autumn pruning of mock orange
If in the spring the shrub is pruned mainly to remove all diseased, weakened and broken branches of the plant, then autumn pruning of the garden mock orange helps to achieve several goals at once:
- Plant rejuvenation. If mock orange has been growing in a summer cottage for quite a long time, then, most likely, its flowering has become less abundant, and its decorativeness has noticeably decreased. Pruning helps replace the skeletal basis of the plant and leave mostly young shoots, which will quickly begin to grow in the new spring and bring spectacular and generous flowering.
- Crown thinning. If the branches are very thick, then the central part of the crown receives almost no sunlight and oxygen. This negatively affects flowering - the shrub produces fewer flower buds and cannot please with its special decorative effect.
- Plant health. With a thickened crown and a large number of extra branches, the mock orange spends energy and nutrients on maintaining unnecessary growth and extra branches. Accordingly, the plant has much less strength left for flowering - few flower buds are formed, the flowers become smaller and quickly fall to the ground.
- Formation of beautiful outlines. By nature, mock orange grows green mass rather unevenly; if you do not trim the bush, it will quickly become one-sided and unsightly. Thinning and shaping help give the plant a beautiful silhouette.
Types of pruning
Shrub pruning carried out in the fall can be divided into several categories:
- Supportive and sanitary. It must be carried out annually - during pruning, all dried, diseased, twisted branches are cut off, which needlessly take away the strength of the plant. After trimming, the removed parts of the mock orange are collected and destroyed.
- Formative and supportive. This haircut is carried out as needed - it is not necessary to do it every year. During formation, the shrub is properly thinned out, excess growth is removed and space is freed up in the central part of the plant so that the crown receives more fresh air and sunlight.
- Rejuvenating. Pruning of this type is rarely carried out - only when the flowering of the mock orange is noticeably reduced, and a complete renewal of the bush is required.
In some years, only one type of pruning is used in the fall, but sometimes different types are combined.
How to prune mock orange in the fall
In the video of mock orange pruning in the fall, it becomes clear that it is important not only to trim the bush on time, but also not to cause harm to the plant. Knowing the basic rules will help make pruning safe for the plant.
Recommended timing
When pruning in the fall, it is important not to miss the deadline for cutting the plant. Pruning should be done after the plant has completed the growing season and is preparing for cold weather. However, the temperature should not yet drop below - 2-4 ° C, otherwise the wood of the bush will freeze and cutting will harm it.
Preparation of tools and materials
At any time of the year, pruning is a procedure that injures the plant to one degree or another. In autumn it is safest, however, even during this period, mock orange may suffer if its shoots are not trimmed carefully enough.
To trim mock orange in the fall, you will need the following tools:
- pruners and loppers, they are used to remove thin and medium branches of the plant;
- a set of hacksaws and saws for wood, they are used to remove really old and thick branches of a bush.
You will also need to prepare garden pitch or any other specialized putty.After pruning, the cuttings of the bush will need to be processed, otherwise the branches may suffer from fungus or rot.
Schemes for pruning mock orange in autumn
Basically, in the fall they practice 2 schemes for pruning mock orange in the fall for beginners.
- Gentle pruning for shaping and gradual rejuvenation. Shortly before cold weather, 2 or 3 old branches of the bush are cut off completely or to the largest of the side shoots. In this case, the same number of branches from the young growth should remain. Next autumn, a similar procedure will need to be repeated and thus renew the entire skeleton of the shrub over the course of several years.
- Radical rejuvenating pruning of mock orange in the fall. Almost all branches are cut down to the ground, leaving only 5-6 strong young shoots, which are also shortened to about half a meter. If desired, the old mock orange can be cut off completely “under the stump” in the fall; in this case, growth from the root will begin in the spring, and in 2-3 years the bush will be completely restored.
- Maintenance—In this autumn mock orange pruning scheme, only a small number of old branches of the shrub are removed and the center of the crown is thinned.
Every autumn, during pruning, all useless branches - dry and broken over the summer - are eliminated.
How to prune mock orange in the fall
You need to prune mock orange for the winter using a simple algorithm that is not difficult even for a novice gardener.
- First of all, you need to use pruning shears and other tools to trim damaged, twisted, fungus- or insect-infested branches.
- After this, shoots older than 5 years that no longer participate in annual flowering are removed with hacksaws and saws.
- Next, shoots that protrude too far beyond the borders of the bush are pruned; they negatively affect the decorative appearance of the mock orange.
- Then the crown is thinned out, that is, the intersecting and intertwining branches in the center of the bush are trimmed, since such shoots prevent each other from developing.
- At the last stage, they get rid of the shoots growing towards the inside of the bush.
If the old inflorescences on the plant bush were not pruned in the summer, then during pruning in the fall they also need to be removed.
Shrub care after pruning
After autumn pruning, garden jasmine needs care that will help it safely endure the winter cold and recover with the onset of spring.
- First of all, it is necessary to remove all debris around the pruned bush - fallen leaves, cut branches and other plant debris. If this is not done, insects and fungal spores that are dangerous to the plant may appear in the organic residues - under the cover of foliage and twigs it will be easier for them to survive frosts.
- In the fall, after pruning, it is recommended to feed garden jasmine. It is necessary to add a small amount of superphosphate, potassium and wood ash under the bush, incorporating the fertilizer shallowly into the soil and lightly watering it with water.
- After fertilizing, the ground around the bush must be mulched with compost, manure or spruce branches. This will protect the roots of the garden jasmine from freezing.
Conclusion
Pruning mock orange in the fall, subject to basic rules, is completely safe and allows you not only to maintain the strength of the plant, but also to rejuvenate it and give it a decorative appearance. The most important thing is not to miss the right time for cutting, and also to follow proven schemes.
