Pruning guarantees lush blooms - that's why cutting is so important
With a flowering time between March and May, forsythias are the classic spring flowering plants among the ornamental trees. They planted their flower buds in the summer of the previous year and hibernated them for the winter. The eagerly awaited, golden yellow flowers unfold even before the green leaves sprout.
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Gold bells put their most abundant blooms on the two-year long shoots and their annual side branches . Only in mild wine-growing areas and gardens with a suitable microclimate do gold bells also bloom on the annual long shoots. This growth behavior results in aging within 3 to 4 years if the gardener refrains from regular pruning. For a forsythia to greet the spring with bright yellow flowers every year, the old, withered shoots have to give way to make way for young long shoots with side branches.
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The shoots of forsythia
Long shoots are all branches with a length of more than 10 cm and those under 10 cm are called short shoots. Forsythia form leaf buds along the long shoots of the first summer (see Fig. 1 below), but not yet branching and only in exceptional cases first flower buds. On the one-year long shoots of the following year (see Fig. 2 below), side branches that are already bearing the first buds thrive. The most valuable blossom wood are the short shoots that develop from the annual side branches on the two-year long shoots (see Fig. 3 below).
When is the best time?
One of the typical characteristics of the yellow heralds of spring is that they already bud in the previous year . As a result, the prudent gardener cuts the ornamental shrubs after flowering. If the scissors are used before flowering, most of the buds will fall victim, so that the flowering period is disappointingly sparse. This choice of date complies with the provisions of Section 39, Paragraph 5 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act. It can be read that maintenance and conservation pruning is permitted during the closed season from March 1st to October 1st.
If it is a radical taper cut - as it will be explained in detail later in this tutorial - the legal regulations must be observed. This fact does not pose a problem, however, since winter is the best time of the year from a botanical point of view to plant an aging shrub on the cane.
Instructions for care and maintenance pruning
In the course of the first 3 to 4 years of standing, forsythia form a framework with up to 12 stronger ground shoots, on which the flower-bearing long shoots develop with numerous, profusely flowering side branches. At the end of the flowering period of the third year, we recommend the first care and maintenance cut. From this point on, the older bottom and long shoots lose a lot of vitality, so that they tend to get old. Furthermore, scaffold shoots hinder the growth of fresh ground shoots, which are essential for the growth of fresh blossom wood. How to properly cut the forsythia:
- Cut off dead flower stems
- Thinning out 2 to 3 of the oldest ground shoots, as shown in the figure below
- Either cut back close to the ground or shorten to a strong, young branch
- Cut off all stunted shoots or shoots directed into the interior of the bush at the base
- Cut off heavily branched, broom-like branches up to a one or two year long long shoot
- Remove the weaker from the long shoots that are too close together
By thinning out some of the oldest, balding shoots each year , the forsythia bush experiences continuous rejuvenation. Thanks to this pruning care, you will never face the problem of putting the ornamental wood on the stick because it is completely old.
Tips
As a beginner in professional forsythia pruning, are you wondering how you can distinguish the branches according to their age? Simply mark the shoots with different colored rings from the first year of standing. Over the years you will get a trained eye for the development stage of a branch and can do without the markings.
Digression
Promote branching
A plant pruning improves the rapid rooting of young forsythias and contributes to lush branching. To do this, cut back all main shoots by two thirds between November and March. On this occasion, weak and damaged shoots are removed. However, this measure significantly affects the first flowering period.
Instructions for the taper cut
If the pruning of a forsythia is neglected for many years, the flowering shrub transforms into an impenetrable undergrowth without any noteworthy flowers or leaves. Thanks to the excellent cut tolerance of gold bells, you do not have to throw the gun in the grain. Instead of clearing the ornamental wood, stimulate the growth of fresh shoots with a step-by-step rejuvenation cut. The older and more bald an ornamental wood, the more intermediate steps it should be. Here's how to do it properly:
- Rejuvenate aged forsythia in stages over 2 or 3 years
- The best time is always in late winter before flowering on a frost-free day
- First stage: Remove ground shoots except for the 4 strongest ones, which are cut by half
- Result: new long shoots sprout directly from the ground
- Ideally, young long shoots also sprout from the shortened old shoots
- Second stage: shorten the 4 to 8 most vital young ground shoots to different heights, remove all other young shoots
- Result: a new basic structure is formed from annual long shoots with side branches
- Second or third stage: cut off the 4 old ground shoots just above the root disc, provided they do not have new long shoots
- Result: Development of a harmonious shrub crown with one to two year old long and short shoots that bloom for the first time
When selecting the bottom shoots to be removed, please note whether they still have fresh side branches or not. If a lateral, one to two year old branch sprouts from an old scaffold shoot, cut back to this point and not to the ground. If no new long shoots develop from the rhizome after the first stage during the summer, it is better to replace the old forsythia.
This is how the perfect cutting technique succeeds - instructions for beginners
If you shorten long, weak or old shoots on your forsythia, please always cut at a short distance from a bud . A distance of 2 to 3 millimeters guarantees rapid ejection and rapid wound healing. If the cut is too close to the vegetation point, the bud dries up. If you leave a stump that is too long, there is a great risk that the shoot will gradually die off at this point and the wound will not close. Rotting wood offers pathogenic germs a perfect attack surface.
If old or excess shoots have to be thinned out, please cut on astring. To do this, look out for a small bead between the trunk or main shoot and the side shoot to be removed. This astring contains the vital, divisible tissue that must not be injured so that the wound heals in an exemplary manner. Place the cutting tool at a slight angle so that rainwater can drain off quickly. Again, there must be no stub left that would cause trouble for the astring because it gradually decays.
Digression
The best cutting tool
Having the right tool is key when cutting your forsythia. The basic equipment includes the one-hand secateurs for branches up to 2 cm thick, optionally with bypass or anvil function. Two-hand pruning shears should be available for cutting 2 to 3.5 cm thick shoots. The handy folding saw has proven itself in practice to cut thick shoots inside the bush with a diameter of more than 4 cm. On cuts the diameter of a 2 euro coin, you need a knife to smooth the edges of the wound. Important: Please sharpen and disinfect the blades before and after each use. The most common cause of the spread of diseases and pests to garden plants is contaminated cutting tools.Fertilizing optimizes the cutting result - tip for follow-up treatment
After the care and maintenance cut, forsythia do not take a long break. Rather, the ornamental trees are tackling the floral preparations for next year's Blossom Festival. In the course of the summer, fresh long shoots thrive and the most valuable blossom wood sprouts on the previous year's shoots with further short shoots. By late summer, gold bells had positioned all of the buds. So that the growth process does not stall due to a lack of nutrients, provide the busy gold bells with an organic fertilizer.
Spread 3 liters of ripe compost and 100 grams of horn shavings per square meter of bed area. Please rake in the fertilizer lightly and pour more. Forsythia in the bucket get vital growth momentum by adding a liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water.
Important facts in a nutshell - section profile
The specific growth behavior of forsythia dictates the expert approach to pruning. If you have doubts about the further process in the middle of the editing work, call these important facts to mind. The following profile summarizes all the aspects that are essential for exemplary pruning of forsythia:
- Growth: broadly upright, deciduous flowering shrub
- Growth height: 200 to 300 cm, dwarf varieties 100 to 150 cm
- Growth rate: 20 to 30 cm per year
- Flowering time: depending on the variety between March and May
- Special feature: flowers appear before the leaves
- Bud system: in the summer of the previous year
- Blossom wood: biennial long shoots with annual short side shoots
- Exceptions: in mild winter locations already on annual long shoots
- Winter hardiness: frost-resistant to - 20 degrees Celsius
- Cut tolerance: very good
- Toxic content: slightly toxic
The low toxicity of forsythia is due to various alkaloids and saponins. This fact is relevant for home gardeners who suffer from allergies. For reasons of caution, we recommend wearing gloves in this case to prevent direct contact with the sap when cutting.
frequently asked Questions
Cutting dwarf forsythia - what to look for
For the small garden and large tubs, nurseries offer forsythia varieties that remain at a height of 100 to 150 centimeters. Very short shoot sections between the individual buds are characteristic of the weak ornamental trees; called internodes in technical jargon. This growth results in a dense, flowering branch that does not require annual maintenance pruning. Every 2 to 3 years, we recommend cutting back half of all branches by a third in order to keep them blooming. You can use this opportunity to thin out old or poor shoots on Astring.
When and how should a forsythia hedge be cut?
Forsythias have conquered a place among the most popular hedge plants as heralds of spring with abundant flowers. In warm, protected locations, the one-year long shoots bloom, followed by the two-year shoots with numerous side branches. With regular care and maintenance pruning, as explained in this tutorial, you can effectively prevent baldness. In contrast to the pruning of a solitary forsythia, choose a date in June or July because the growth has passed its zenith at this point and the well-groomed appearance is preserved for longer.
When cutting, you should ideally aim for a trapezoidal shape with a broad base that tapers towards the top of the shrub. This ensures that sunlight penetrates into the interior of the hedge and stimulates the buds there to grow.
The 3 most common mistakes when pruning forsythia
Forsythia, which are only a shadow of themselves, can often be found in ornamental gardens and parks. As a result of neglected pruning, the ornamental trees, which were once rich in flowers, have been transformed into leafless and flowerless thickets. The following three mistakes are primarily responsible for the floral dilemma. The following overview lists the omissions by name, points out the consequences and gives tips for correction:
| error | episode | correction |
|---|---|---|
| Cut in winter | Loss of most of the buds, almost complete failure of the flowering period | cut immediately after the end of the flowering period |
| not exposed | densely branched undergrowth of overaged, balding ground shoots, few flower shoots on the edge area, arching long shoots with few flowers on the shoot tips | Rejuvenation cut in winter, then cut off the oldest ground shoots every year, regularly thinning out dead wood |
| radically rejuvenated in one go | no fresh shoots, forsythia dies | Rejuvenate an aged shrub in 2 to 3 stages |
Tips
In the tutorial you can read that forsythia buds in the previous year. Consequently, the ornamental trees are among the ideal suppliers for magical barabara branches. On December 4th, Saint Barbara celebrates name day. This is the deadline for cutting branches from forsythia and spring-flowering fruit trees. In a water-filled vase on the sunny, warm window seat, the branches are in full bloom just in time for Christmas Eve.
