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Tag: Prune

Can Tomato and Watermelon Vines Be Pruned?

“I have a small plot and planted two tomato plants and several watermelon plants. As they grow I’m realizing my plot is quickly running out of space. Can tomato plants be trimmed back? Will watermelon plants take over my yard? How do I trim them back or space them out wide enough?” Question from George of Hagerstown, Maryland

Answer: Both plants can be pruned (please watch the video below about how to prune cherry tomatoes). Both indeterminate (vining) tomatoes and long-vined watermelons will completely take over a garden space in no time. Here are some solutions for managing these gregarious plants this summer and in the future.

Space-Saving Solutions for Tomatoes

  1. Choose determinate, or bush tomatoes. They stay small. The only downside is that they do not produce fruit for as long as indeterminate (vining) tomatoes. If you want more fruit, you have other options.
  2. Cage indeterminate tomatoes with tall, strong, robust cages. I recommend Titan tomato cages or any of comparable size and quality. This way, the vines will grow upright and be easier to prune.
  3. Prune indeterminate tomatoes. Please watch the video below to learn how.

Space-Saving Solutions for Watermelon

  1. Choose short-vine watermelons, such as ‘Cal Sweet Bush‘, a 2019 AAS award winner that has excellent melons and vines that do not take over.
  2. Train melons on a trellis. Small-fruited types, like ‘Little Baby Flower‘, a personal favorite, are the best for trellising.
  3. Trim back select watermelon vine branches that have outgrown their area. Keep in mind, some will need to reach a long length to properly fruit.

Watch the video below for more watermelon-growing tips.

I hope that these tips help! You may also consider enlarging your vegetable garden. Please click on this link to learn how to start a thriving vegetable garden from the start.

Happy gardening!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

When Do You Pinch Dahlias for Fuller Growth?

“How and when do you pinch dahlias to encourage fuller growth?” Question from April of Dresden, Tennessee

Answer: Once your dahlias are close to their final height (which depends on the variety) and have ample foliage, you can pinch or trim them back to encourage fuller growth, more branching, and more flowers. Just be sure to wait until they are large and full enough to bounce back nicely.

I always recommend cutting them back just above a branching stem node (see adjacent image). New branching stems will arise from the node. I also recommend using sharp shears to do the job rather than pinching (Corona Flora Scissors work very well). Cleaner cuts help plants heal and revive more quickly.

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

When Do You Prune Blueberries?

“I live in zone 8 and have Blueberries. Do you prune Blueberries, and if so when?” Question from Lynn of Sacramento, California

Answer: Blueberry pruning is done to maintain crops as well as shrub shape and size. There are several rules when it comes to pruning blueberries. First, wait until shrubs are mature and fruit-bearing (at least five years old) before pruning for the first time. Next, like most fruit-producing shrubs, you need to wait until after their fruit has matured to prune. Blueberries produce flowers on old wood, so if you prune any later than post-fruit production, you will remove next year’s flowers. It is also essential to maintain strong fruiting wood, while removing weaker, spindly stems.

Four Blueberry Pruning Guidelines

Here are four guidelines to follow when pruning blueberries.

  1. Prune just after berry harvest.
  2. Maintain one strong fruiting cane (branch) for each year of growth, starting in the shrub’s fourth year.
  3. Older canes can be replaced by stronger, newer fruiting canes after the shrubs have reaches 8-10 years.
  4. Remove smaller, weaker, lateral branches to encourage stronger fruiting branches.

I hope that these pruning tips help! You also might want to watch the video below about how to grow blueberries with success. (Click here to learn more about great blueberries for western gardens.)

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

When Is The Best Time to Prune Roses?

“When is the best/latest date I can cut back roses?” Question from Joseph or Milwaukie, Oregon

Answer: Late winter is an excellent time to prune reblooming roses, but you can also safely prune them at other times–including now. I recommend that you read our blog about pruning roses in spring (click here to view it). I also encourage you to watch our rose-pruning video with West Coast Rosarian, Rich Baer. It provides a useful, hands-on overview of how to prune roses and covers everything from needed pruning tools to the proper pruning height.

Happy rose gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

When Do You Prune Pomegranates and Figs?

When Do You Prune Pomegranates and Figs?

“When do you prune pomegranate trees and fig trees?” Question from Renita of Flomaton, Alabama

Answer: Pomegranate (Punica granatum, USDA Hardiness Zones 8-11) and figs (Ficus carica, Zones 6-10) may both grow as trees or shrubs and have different pruning needs. Here are tips for when and how to prune them.

How to Prune Figs

Figs are deciduous further north and evergreen further south, so they need to be pruned differently depending on where they are growing. The goals when pruning a fig are to control excess branching, encourage an open habit and new growth, and control height. Fig fruits are produced on new wood in summer and a second crop, called a breba crop, is sometimes produced on the old wood later in the season. Breba figs are generally not as tasty.

Where I live in Delaware (Zone 7), my sweet ‘Celeste‘ fig’s stems may die back partially or even to the ground, so I wait to prune until I can easily scratch the stems in early spring. That way I can remove any branches that are dead. Southerners should wait to prune until the cool of late winter before new growth has begun to appear.

Start by cutting the largest stems back to the base as well as those that are overlapping and small and sucker-like. From there, you can cut the remaining stems back to 3-4 feet. Figs grow large quickly, so this process should be repeated annually if you want to encourage more compact growth. Fertilize them shortly after pruning with balanced, slow-release plant food, such as a 10-10-10. (Click here to learn more about growing figs, and click here for more detailed pruning tips.)

How to Prune Pomegranates

Like figs, pomegranate foliage can be deciduous, partially-evergreen, or evergreen, depending on how far north you live. Pomegranate fruits develop in summer on second-year growth, so care must be taken to prune them at the correct time and refrain from removing all of last year’s wood. Prune them in late winter before they flower. When pruning, the goal is to shape and thin the crown by cutting off any crossing, excessive, or overgrown stems. Each stout, main stem should have five to six lateral branches remaining. Tip growth can be cut back to maintain a uniform crown of 4 to 5 feet. A thinner, tidier crown looks good and should yield better fruit. It is also essential to remove any shoots or suckers from the base of the plant throughout the growing season. (Click here to learn more about growing pomegranates, and click here for more detailed tips on pruning and training them.)

I hope that these tips help!

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

When Do You Prune Hydrangeas?

When Do You Prune Hydrangeas?

“When is the best time to cut back my Hydrangeas?” Question from Marlene of Lapeer, Michigan

Answer: When do you prune hydrangeas? It depends entirely on the type of hydrangea you are growing. Some bloom on new wood, some bloom on old wood, and still others bloom on new and old wood. Let me break it down by common species to make it simpler.

When to Prune Different Hydrangeas

Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens, USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9): Prune these hardy, resilient hydrangeas at any time. They bloom on both new and old wood.

Mophead and Lacecap Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla varieties, zones vary): Prune these hydrangeas in midsummer just after they bloom, if pruning is needed. They flower on second-year wood. Hardiness zones vary anywhere from 5-11, and mopheads tend to die back in their most northern ranges of hardiness, so they are not the best option for colder gardens where their flowers may be frozen back each year. Please check the hardiness of any variety before planting it.

Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia, USDA Zones 5-9): Prune these hydrangeas in midsummer just after they bloom, if pruning is needed. They bloom on second-year wood.

Panicle Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata, USDA Zones 3-8): Prune panicle hydrangeas in late winter or early spring. They bloom on new wood.

Lots of newer reblooming hydrangea varieties bloom on both new and old wood, so they can be pruned at any time. Also, keep in mind that any dead or dying stems should be cut off to keep shrubs looking clean and attractive.

I hope that this information helps!

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

How and When Do You Prune Rose of Sharon?

 

“What is the best way and time to prune a Rose of Sharon?” Question from Rick of Roseville, California

Answer: Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is a quite forgiving shrub when it comes to pruning. It blooms on new wood, so you can prune in the spring or later in the season. It’s your preference. This is a shrub that should not be sheared. Simply shape it by selectively removing tall, out-of-place, or awkward branches that are keeping it from looking uniform. Also, be sure to remove any crossing or old stems as well as deadwood.

This shrub tends to be weedy, which is why I also advise planting a double-flowered variety, like those on the Chiffon Series, which produce little to no seed.

Happy gardening!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

What Time of Year Do You Prune Abutilon?

“What time of year do you prune an Abutilon?” Question from Angie of Fort Bragg, California

Answer: Parlor maples or Indian mallows (Abutilon hybrids) are tropical to subtropical plants that can be pruned to shape at any time. Cultivated forms do, however, bloom on new wood, so late-winter or spring pruning is recommended. Especially if you plan to trim your plant just once a year. These shrubs can be cut back quite a bit and rebound beautifully. Another option is to carefully thin overgrown stems back to main or central branches or remove smaller tip branches. It depends on how large you want your shrub to grow. Shearing is not advisable.

Dead, diseased, or winter-damaged stems should always be cut off.

Happy Abutilon growing!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

How Do I Care For My Butterfly Bush in Fall?

“What’s the best way to care for my butterfly bush, now that all the flowers are gone?  I usually cut it all the way back in the spring, which usually makes for a beautiful bush throughout the summer.  This year, not so much.  It was not very full, although it did grow quite tall.  Should I be doing something to it in the fall?”  Question from Diane of Newark, Ohio

Answer: If you trim the seed heads off of your butterfly bush (Buddleia hybrid) now, you may get a new flush of flowers before season’s end, if the weather stays moderately warm. So, don’t give up on your shrub so early. There are lots of migrating monarchs that still need food for their travels.

Butterfly Bush Pruning Time

There are different fields of thought regarding buddleia pruning time. Some say late spring; others say it does not matter. In my experience, when you hard-prune it back (I generally prune mine back to 1 foot) depends on your hardiness zone. I have pruned mine back in both spring and fall with no difference in summer performance, but my USDA Hardiness Zone 7 garden is milder than yours. So, for your Zone 6 garden, I recommend that you wait until after the last frost of spring to prune buddleia back.

Butterfly Bush Fertilization

For top flowering performance, I recommend that you feed your shrub with bloom-boosting plant food. It should also get full sun for most of the day. Butterfly bushes often don’t live past 20 years, and some of the newer varieties can be shorter-lived. This must also be taken into consideration.

Happy buddleia growing!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

DIY Garden Project: How to Prune and Deadhead Perennials

To keep perennial garden flowers looking nice in your beds, keep the old foliage, flowering stems, and seedheads but back. Cutting back old perennial parts keeps plants looking clean and attractive and helps rebloomers flower more. Here’s how!

Click here for a Step-by-Step pdf.