Pruning viburnum: rules and schemes for beginners, timing

Kalina is a beautiful perennial that can grow as a bush and a small tree. Gardeners often grow this crop, because it retains its decorative effect throughout the year. However, for this it is important to provide the plant with adequate care. Proper pruning of viburnum makes it possible to form a neat plant and increase its yield.

Does Kalina need pruning

Despite the fact that viburnum is considered a cultivated plant, it retains the characteristics of wild bushes. Without proper care, there is a risk of an excess of side shoots and shoots, which negatively affects the appearance and he alth of the crop.

Yearly, new shoots outgrow the old ones and stretch towards the sun. In this case, flowering and fruiting move to the upper parts, while the lower branches are in the shade and gradually die off. Literally after a few years, viburnum becomes unattractive and stops bearing fruit.

Cutting helps to deal with these problems. This is not an easy manipulation that requires certain rules to be followed.

When to cut viburnum

In order for cropping to be successful, it is important to choose the right time for this procedure. However, there are several options that have certain features.

Autumn

After fruiting, it is recommended to carry out sanitary pruning. It involves the removal of dried branches, which differ from the rest of the shoots in dark bark.

At the same time, it is important to remove diseased shoots that are covered with spots and exfoliated bark, depressions, growths. Cut shoots should be collected and burned. This will help prevent the spread of disease.

Summer

In the summer, viburnum needs not only sanitary, but also thinning pruning. Most often it affects green shoots. In this case, you need to remove the following:

1. Growth. Removing it will help give viburnum more strength to bookmark and ripen buds.
2. Tops. If the pruning is carried out incorrectly, after which a large stump remains, a lot of fattening shoots will grow. They have a vertical direction and are called spinning tops.
3. Tops affected by parasites and diseases. The plant often suffers from attacks by aphids, powdery mildew and leaf beetles. When symptoms of a lesion appear, it is important to cut and burn the lesions. This is done with the tips of the shoots.

Spring

Many gardeners prune viburnum in the spring - before the buds awaken. During this period, the culture is at rest.Therefore, the procedure does not harm her. In the spring, it is recommended to get rid of dry, broken, diseased branches. It is also necessary to remove the remnants of berry brushes and thin out the crown.

Quite often, during pruning, gardeners remove too long ends of branches. This helps to avoid strong growth of the crown. Do not be afraid to harm the culture.

Systematic pruning favorably affects viburnum fruiting, since the remaining branches receive more nutrition from the root system.

Cutting types

There are several options for this procedure, each of which has certain features.

Sanitary

This type of pruning is recommended in autumn. It is done after the harvest. When the viburnum has completely shed its foliage, the gardener should inspect it and remove the following fragments:

• sick shoots;
• broken branches;
• dry and broken fragments;
• remains of brushes.

Before winter, it is not recommended to remove too many branches. If there are severe frosts, there is a risk of freezing the bush. In fact, any pruning is a serious stress for the culture.

Thinning

Thinning is recommended every year. It is advisable to carry out this type of pruning in the summer. The optimal period is considered to be the time after the foliage blooms, but before the formation of the ovaries. In this case, you need to visually inspect the bush, find thickened areas and remove some of the branches.

They usually point inward and are spinning tops that are next to each other.

Forming

Plant formation should be done 3-4 years after planting in open soil.Kalina can develop as a bush or tree. Choosing the right option is based on individual preferences. It is also recommended to focus on the free space in the country and the location of the culture. Under natural conditions, viburnum grows in the form of a large bush, which reaches a height of 2-3 meters. In this form, it is found in the forests. If you do not cut the plant, viburnum will develop in the form of a bush.

To give it the right shape, it is recommended to choose 6-7 of the most powerful shoots. The rest must be removed. In height, the shrub should reach an outstretched arm. Subsequently, it is worth making sure that the plant does not let too many basal shoots. It is recommended to remove it every year. You also need to control the development of the upper part. If the viburnum stretches too much, it should be cut off.

When performing pruning, it is important to consider that fruiting occurs on annual shoots.

Sometimes viburnum is grown in the form of a tree. But in this case, it may break. This is due to the high fragility of the trunk. Often the bole can grow deformed. To support the culture, it is recommended to use props. Stakes are perfect for this purpose. When growing viburnum in the form of a tree, a lower yield is observed. To form a plant, you need to choose 1 powerful shoot and make a tree out of it. The remaining branches are recommended to be deleted. Today there are special varieties. They immediately grow on the same trunk and form a tree.

Scheme of carrying out

To properly trim the viburnum, you should use the instructions for beginners. To form a bush, it is recommended to do the following:

1. After planting, cut off all aboveground shoots. No more than 2-3 buds should remain on each of them.
2. Next year a few more shoots will appear from each bud. When the branches reach 30 centimeters in height, they should be pinched.
3. Then the bush will begin its recovery. During this period, the development of root growth occurs.
4. New shoots are recommended to be left until their number is 7 pieces.
5. The growth of the top should be left until it reaches the required height.

Practical recommendations

To cut the viburnum correctly, it is recommended to follow these tips from experienced gardeners:

1. Pruning is permissible to carry out during the absence of sap flow. This occurs in early spring, before bud break, and in autumn, after leaf fall.
2. Formative pruning should be carried out exclusively in the spring. The rest of the time, the bush simply will not be able to recover before the onset of cold weather.
3. In natural conditions viburnum grows in the form of a shrub. Therefore, it is far from always possible to form a decorative tree from it.
4. Rejuvenation treatments should be carried out at intervals of 5 years.
5. Thinning the crown should be in the summer. This helps to avoid thickening of plantings, provide air ventilation in the leaf structure and prevent the growth of bacterial microorganisms and fungi.
6. Every autumn, it is worth getting rid of dried, diseased and brittle branches. This is required for the full development of the crop and increasing the yield parameters.

How are different varieties of viburnum cut?

Gardeners usually grow 2 varieties of viburnum - ordinary red and its variety - Buldenezh. Pruning of ordinary red viburnum has no specific features and is carried out according to standard technology.Buldenezh needs to be cut so that you end up with a lush bush with several trunks.At the same time, it is recommended to shorten young shoots about 20 centimeters from the soil surface.

Inflorescences that appear in the summer of the first year must be removed. This helps stimulate the development of roots and branches. At the end of summer, the top of the shoots should be removed. This will improve branching next year. In the second year after planting, it is recommended to cut the viburnum after the end of flowering. Excess green mass should not absorb the beneficial elements that are required for budding. Kalina Buldenezh does not require spring pruning, as this will negatively affect the formation of inflorescences.

Pruning viburnum has a number of features. Thanks to the strict implementation of the recommendations of experienced gardeners, it is possible to grow a strong and he althy plant that will have excellent decorative effect and give a good harvest.

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