How to prune a tree hydrangea in spring: tips for beginners

Pruning hydrangeas in treelike spring is an important step in year-round plant care. Hydrangea arborescens is a shrub reaching a height of 1 to 2,5 meters. The culture has large heart-shaped leaves and lush spherical inflorescences.

Blooming hydrangea exudes a pleasant aroma that is used in perfume compositions.

Do I need to prune the tree hydrangea in the spring

Pruning is a procedure aimed not only at creating a certain shape of a bush. Shearing is necessary to rid the plant of excess shoots and branches.

Pruning is of several types:

1. thinning or shaping pruning is aimed at creating a crown and giving the bush a decorative shape. Helps to form a sapling neat appearance.
2. Rejuvenating pruning is carried out once every 5-7 years. Restores the plant, allowing it to put on a large amount of new growth. This pruning involves removing old shoots to the very root.
3. Sanitary pruning is designed to eliminate bush defects caused by environmental influences. During the procedure, dry branches and inflorescences are removed.

Why do you need pruning tree hydrangea in the spring

It is very important to cut the tree hydrangea in time and correctly in the spring. During this period, it is easy to distinguish living branches from dry ones. Kidneys swell on the living, dry ones break off when pressed. The procedure is carried out for the following purposes:

• to give the bush a neat shape;
• for the formation of dense and large inflorescences;
• pruning is necessary so that the hydrangea is less sick and attacked by pests;
• in a few years it turns out to achieve the desired shape and size of the bush;
• any pruning rejuvenates the bushes and provokes the growth of new shoots. In hydrangea tree-like inflorescences are formed only on new shoots, so old ones can be disposed of without much thought. They will still go green and only spoil the appearance of the plant;
• to avoid freezing. Fresh cuts are the most sensitive areas of hydrangeas to frost. Spring pruning almost completely eliminates this danger.

If the shrub is started, it will quickly thicken, and the inflorescences will be crushed and thinned. It will be difficult to return such a seedling to its former luxurious appearance. Therefore, regular pruning is required, you can not miss even one season.

When can you prune tree hydrangea in spring

In the spring, the time for pruning a tree hydrangea is quite limited, but if all the manipulations are carried out in time, then this will only benefit the flower.

It is customary to trim the bushes in early spring, when the snow has not yet completely melted. Usually this is the second or third week of March, in colder areas – the end of March or the first decade of April. If you are late, then the places of the cuts will begin to “cry” and die. Hydrangea tree will get sick and stop blooming.

Snow thawed patches around the stems are a sure sign that the plant has already “woken up”

It is very important to follow the procedure correctly:

• work can be started only when the growth buds swell. After all, they are the main landmark of “awakening”. But the leaves of them should not be visible;
• weather conditions should be considered during spring pruning. If the cold does not want to go away, and the kidneys are swollen, it is better to wait for warming for another couple of weeks, but you can’t drag it out too much either. Otherwise, a sufficient number of new shoots will not have time to form;

How to prune a tree hydrangea

So that the plant does not suffer, and pruning benefits it, it is important to remember a few mandatory rules before the procedure:

• if the bush is young, then the first 2-3 years, pruning in spring and autumn is not carried out. You can carry out light sanitary pruning of too long shoots. So the hydrangea will grow well and strengthen in the soil;
• pruning is done with a pruner, the cut is made slightly beveled;
  
  

  Fresh cuts should preferably be treated immediately with ash or wood resin.

• the bush must first be thinned out, otherwise it will be difficult to get close to the main parts;
• healthy shoots are shortened by ½ length, 2-3 pairs of buds are left on each;
• weak and dry branches are cut off at a height of about 10-13 cm from the ground;
• frozen branches are removed to living wood;
• pruning should capture excess shoots in the central part, which create shade and unwanted density;
• if the bush is very old and more than seven years old, then to rejuvenate and accelerate growth, the shoots are cut close to the soil;
• if necessary, fix the cut remains of the stems with a support.

The correct phased pruning of a tree hydrangea in the spring is shown in the video for beginners.

Hydrangea tree care after spring pruning

Once pruned properly, the hydrangea needs quality and consistent care. The plant needs a lot of strength to grow new shoots and bloom. It is important to help him with this:

• Hydrangea treelike loves mineral fertilizers. They provide the flower with all the necessary substances. They are introduced into the soil in the spring when loosening to a depth of several centimeters. As it dissolves, minerals will actively flow to the roots;
  
  

  Excessive fertilization can poison the tender hydrangea, as well as provoke the death of the bush.

• top dressing with manure, humus or chicken manure (diluted with water 1: 1) will do real miracles with a bush. The procedure will enhance metabolic processes in the stems and roots;
• mulching (sheltering the soil under the bushes) will retain moisture and create a comfortable temperature for good growth and development of new shoots in the spring, as well as protect against pests and get rid of weeds in the summer. Mowed grass, sawdust, needles are suitable as a material;
• hydrangea tree requires abundant watering. Sufficient saturation of the soil with moisture is the key to a lush crown and good flowering throughout the summer;
• the ground around the bushes in the spring must be periodically loosened. This will not take much time, but it will increase the air exchange of the roots and improve the absorption of nutrients. Loosening is carried out carefully, because the root system of the hydrangea tree is located near the surface. It is important not to damage it. For these purposes, a plastic chopper or a small shovel is suitable. Metal tools can cut thin roots.

Tips from experienced gardeners

For those who have just planted a tree hydrangea in their garden and are not yet familiar with the intricacies of care and pruning, the advice of experienced gardeners and gardeners will come in handy. When growing hydrangeas, some recommendations should be considered:

1. Spring pruning is best done in the evening. So all damaged shoots will have time to drag on by morning, and the flower will not experience severe stress.
2. If the shoots are too thick and after pruning in the spring, juice is plentifully released from them, then it is better to cover the cuts with paint or garden pitch. This will help the bushes avoid infection.
3. It is necessary to cut off the shoot in one click of the secateurs. If it doesn’t work out, then you can use a file, but do it only in extreme cases.
4. Cut cuttings do not need to be thrown away. Freshly removed shoots are cut along the upper and lower buds, retreating from the edge of 2 cm. The upper cut is performed straight, and the lower one at a slight angle. After that, the branches are placed in a container with water, you can add a little growth stimulant. After two weeks, when the branches take root, they can be planted in a greenhouse (even in spring).
   Attention! With abundant watering and care, by the end of summer, several new specimens will appear on the site.
   

   In spring, hydrangea cuttings are more likely to sprout on a sunny windowsill.

5. If hydrangea grows on chernozem soil (south of Our Country), then the following mineral fertilizers are suitable for it: potassium manganese solution, urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate. It is necessary to distinguish between the use of industrial and natural fertilizers. They should be applied at weekly intervals.
6. Hydrangea loves indirect sunlight. If, after pruning, the plant is provided with suitable light conditions (sun in the morning and evening, and in the daytime partial shade), then it will grow and bloom faster.
7. Do not plant hydrangea tree next to large trees or other large shrubs. Plants will compete for moisture. With such neighbors, after pruning in the spring, the hydrangea may dry out due to insufficient soil moisture.

Conclusion

Pruning hydrangeas in treelike spring is not such a difficult thing. If you follow all the recommendations and follow the rules, then the shrub will delight the owner of the site with abundant flowering for more than 15 years.