Pruning forsythia in spring - the subtleties of the procedure

Tell me how to prune forsythia in the spring correctly? I planted a seedling last year, this season I did not touch it. I water it - I fertilize the bush well, it has already grown decently, and in width too. It even seems to me that it is too thick. Probably need to cut and thin out a little. When and how to do it?

Forsythia is one of the most beautiful ornamental shrubs that will delight you with its multi-colored color. In the spring it turns gilded, covered with yellow flowers, in the summer it is covered with dense green foliage, which takes on a purple hue in autumn. Given the rapid growth of the crop, one of the most important procedures is pruning forsythia in the spring. It helps prevent thickening of the bush, because during the season forsythia grows many young shoots.

In addition, pruning stimulates annual and lush flowering, and this crop has its own characteristics. It blooms in early spring, when most garden plants are just beginning to bloom their leaves. And the flowers themselves bloom only on last year's shoots. Flower buds are not formed on young growth and branches older than 2 years. If you do not cut the bush, over time, flowering will move only to the periphery, and most of the crown will be without buds.

When is the best time to trim

Forsythia flower buds are laid in the fall, so the opinion that autumn pruning is preferable for it is not very true. Of course, if necessary, the bush can be trimmed in October. However, you need to be prepared for the fact that this will lead to the loss of most or even all of the buds.

The optimal timing for pruning is after the end of the flowering of the shrub, that is, in the spring. The exact timing depends on the variety (early or late) and region cultivation... Early varieties blooming in March can be cut off in April, and late varieties blooming in May in late May or early June.

The exception is rejuvenating shrub pruning. It must be done even earlier, before flowering begins.

Pruning forsythia in spring - basic rules of procedure

Spring pruning is regular. It helps to keep the bush neat, prevent aging and maintain abundant flowering throughout the crown. The haircut consists in the following actions:

"Relief" of the crown. Thickening shoots are cut out so that the shrub has the opportunity to ventilate and all branches receive enough sunlight.
Shortening too tall shoots from the young growth. Otherwise, they will become even higher, start branching, and the bottom will be bare.
Pruning half the height of branches that have faded.
Removing branches that fall on the ground. They will inevitably take root, and the bush will lose its given shape.
Cutting under the root of frozen and damaged branches.

As for anti-aging pruning, it is not carried out at one time, but for 2 seasons. In the first year, you need to completely cut out most of the old branches, leaving no more than 5 of the strongest. Over the summer, the bush will give a strong growth. The next spring, also before bud break, you should remove the old shoots left and thin out the young branches. Those that remain should be shortened so that they begin to branch. Thus, in the third spring, the shoots that have grown over the first summer will bloom.

How to prune forsythia after flowering - video