Do not prune forsythia in autumn
Hobby gardeners who winterize the garden like to use scissors and cut all the trees and shrubs in the garden. With forsythia - whether planted as a single plant, high stem or hedge, this is not advisable.
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If you want abundant bloom, fall is a bad time to prune.
Forsythia bloom on the previous shoots
To know when forsythias are best pruned, it is worth taking a look at the shrub's profile. Forsythia belong to the mesotonic family.
Mesotonic means that new shoots grow primarily from the center. At first they grow very straight in height. Most of the flowers develop on shoots that grew in the previous year.
When pruning heavily in autumn, remove exactly the branches that would bloom the next year. Therefore, pruning forsythia in autumn is not recommended.
What can you cut in autumn?
A strong pruning should be done in the spring immediately after flowering.
When pruning your forsythia in the fall, you are only removing shoots that are dead or sick.
Of course, you can also cut off protruding branches or thin out very old shoots. But remember that with each cut you reduce the next year's flowers.
Perform rejuvenation pruning in winter
You should rejuvenate your forsythia every two to three years. All woody shoots are sawn off just above the ground and the branched branches cut in the shrub crown.
If necessary, you can carry out this work in autumn. But there are also better times for this, such as winter or early spring.
Tips & Tricks
Even if you cut your forsythia at the wrong time, it doesn't matter. The shrub will hardly or not at all bloom only in the following year. It then takes a year to develop new flowering branches.
