If you're wondering how your neighbors are keeping their lilac bushes vigorous every year, you are probably missing pruning techniques for the lilacs. But don't worry you are in the right place to learn about the best and most effective pruning approaches for your lilacs.
We'll help you achieve glorious blooms of the lilacs through effective pruning with the right approaches at the right time, exploring several other insightful aspects as well.
Pruning lilacs will encourage them for new and robust growth. All of their elements such as blossoms and stems can be pruned, and if you prune your lilacs following the right approaches at the right time, you can make your lilacs grow more healthy and beautiful.
Below is a step-by-step guide on pruning lilac bushes for you to follow.
You must be aware of the tools you need when pruning lilac bushes. For your safety, it is suggested that you wear protective work goggles or sunglasses and gloves while trimming the bushes of the lilac. You wouldn't want the dense branch of the plant to poke your sensitive eyes and skin.
Similarly, you should gather essential pruning tools such as a bypass pruner, lopping shears, pole pruner, hedge shears, and a pruning saw which will make your task easy and effective. Being equipped with all the necessary elements will eventually reward you with the anticipated result.
After gathering the pruning tools, you then need to disinfect the tools before using them. Well, it has been suggested to sterilize the pruning tools before and after every use to eliminate any potential bacteria or diseases. You wouldn't want your lilac bushes susceptible to any kind of fungal infection or disease.
More particularly, if you've used the tools to cut or trim the diseased branches of any potential plant, you must clean the tools thoroughly using alcohol or diluted bleach solution. This way you prevent the spread of unwanted diseases on the lilac bushes.
You should know deadheading is a process of pruning in which new growth and reflowering are promoted by eliminating the old growth and seed heads. Yes, it is a practice of removing old flowers once they fade out. This way lilac bushes can direct their energy away from the seed production.
Deadheading lilac bushes will encourage more vigorous and vivid growth in the next season. You can simply snip off the flower blossoms just above the first pair of leaves of the lilac plant. Keep in mind not to cut the newly developing buds!
A lilac sucker is a separate slim branch or sprout that is often visible at the root or base of the plant. The suckers in general signify the growth response of the plant. Besides that, the sucker on the plant may also represent a stress response of the plant to any damage or rejuvenating mechanisms.
If the suckers are ignored, they'll eventually hinder healthy plant growth and flowering potential by drawing energy from the roots of the plant. Thus, you need to dig down close to the root base of the lilac plant and trim the suckers using appropriate pruning tools.
If you look closely, you might find the branches of the lilac bushes that are dead, damaged, or decayed. Especially, look for the ones that are grayish and brittle with no leaves. You should know these unhealthy and unwanted branches need to be trimmed right away.
You can make use of the bypass pruners or loppers to cut back the dead and damaged branches. It has been suggested to make your cuts at about 45 degrees so that water is prevented from pooling out of the cut surface. You wouldn't want to rot your lilac bush.
While talking about lilac bushes trimming, thinning is a popular term and practice to reduce the dense foliage of the lilac bushes. Overcrowded lilac bushes will reduce air circulation around the plant and may increase the risk of diseases. You can thin out the bushes so that more sunlight reaches the center of the plant.
It has been suggested to follow the 1/3 pruning rule while cutting the branches of the plant such that 1/3 of the stems are cut at the base. Watch out for the branches that are crossing each other or crowding the center, you need to prune these stems allowing the light and air to reach the inner branches.
You need to trim lilac bushes such that they are in the desirable shape, projecting some sort of aesthetic appeal. Yes, after all, lilac bushes are certain to create a majestic environment with their enchanting blossoms in your garden, why not give extra effort to bring them into some appealing shape?
You can try converting them into a tree-like structure, or a more compact rounded shrub as per your essence regarding the beauty. Make sure to regularly step back and assess while cutting the lilac bushes. Keep in mind to make cuts just above a healthy bud!
Rejuvenation pruning basically involves the process of reducing old branches, limbs, or stems of the lilac plant. If your lilac plant is growing out of control or has forgotten its spirit of blooming, you can try cutting down the entire plant and encouraging it to start over once again.
Yes, rejuvenation pruning is one of the methods of reducing the height of lilac bush which has been suggested to perform in the dormant period of late winter or very early spring. You simply need to cut back all the stems to about 6-12 inches above the ground and allow the plant to start fresh again which might take a few years.
Pruning lilacs at the right time gives you the best-anticipated result. You should know that lilac is a plant that develops new buds this season to offer us blooming next season. If you cut down your lilac bushes haphazardly, you won't get the vigorous blooms you were hoping for.
Here's a guide for you to follow where you will find everything about the right timing for pruning lilac bushes:
The ideal time for pruning lilac bushes is the late spring or early summer which marks the end period of lilac blossoms. Yes, you need to cut back lilac bushes right after they finish blooming. This way you wouldn't accidentally snip off the new buds that will produce flowers for the next season.
It has been suggested not to wait until summer or fall to prune the lilac bushes, you can prune within two weeks of flowers fading. If you plan to trim down the lilacs too late, you should know that it can kill the young developing buds. Therefore, keep in mind to allow the new shoots plenty of time to develop.
Well, lilac bushes are usually pruned after they reach a height of about 6-8 feet. The stature of lilacs is another thing to consider when you think of pruning your lilac bushes. Cutting down the plants very early when they are still growing and developing is likely to kill the newly formed buds and produce fewer blooms later.
Similarly, you need to check for the thickness of the lilac branches before pruning them. Many professionals suggest that any stems thicker than 2 inches in diameter can be pruned. This way you can identify the right timing for pruning lilacs on your own.
You have known that rejuvenation pruning is to be adopted only if your lilacs have stopped blooming well or have overgrown. But there's a right time to perform this pruning. Also, you should be prepared to sacrifice the blooms of lilacs for a couple of years before rejuvenating pruning.
It has been recommended to rejuvenate the lilacs in the late winter or very early spring. You need to cut down the old and overgrown lilacs in late winter to encourage new and fresh growth of the plant after some years.
Scroll down to find out why pruning is considered a very important aspect of every plant including lilac bushes.
Lilac bushes are found to bloom on old wood which means the blooming flowers they are offering this season are actually because of the buds that grew the previous season. During this period, pruning lilacs can help to encourage better and more vigorous flower production.
You should know lilacs can grow very tall and leggy if allowed to flourish naturally. If they are exposed more to the environment growing taller and wider, they are likely to be prone to diseases, reduced air circulation, and overgrowth. If you prune lilacs regularly, you can prevent them from overgrowing.
You can make your lilacs a center of attraction in your garden and house if pruned periodically. It can fit beautifully in your landscape with its rounded bush, projecting an enchanting aesthetic appeal around the surroundings.
Regularly removing the dead and damaged elements of the lilacs will keep your plant healthy, reducing the risk of potential bacterial infection and diseases. In addition to that, properly pruning lilacs will make sure required nutrients and energy are directed to the essential portion of the plant.
We are pretty sure you've been aware of different aspects of pruning your lilacs. You can now identify the right timing and approach to pruning lilac bushes but have you thought of common and likable mistakes while pruning lilacs?
Here's a detailed projection of common mistakes everyone should avoid while pruning their lilacs:
You should completely avoid pruning too late in the growing season of lilacs which is actually in the fall, winter, or after midsummer. Pruning at the wrong time of the year is found to reduce the number of blooms next year.
Therefore, keep in mind that you should prune right after the blooming period of lilacs which will further prevent the newly formed buds from getting pruned away. We often hear from people about fewer blossoms because of the wrong pruning time.
Over-pruning is another common mistake people tend to execute while trying to prune lilac bushes. You should always keep in mind that pruning more than 1/3 of the plant will stress the plant and hinder its growth.
When trying to bring a desirable shape to your lilacs, people accidentally prune more than what is required. If you remove too much of the branches and foliage at once, lilacs are likely to get shocked which will eventually lower the blooms.
You should know that once the flower starts to bloom, it will start to produce seeds at the end. This will direct the maximum energy of the lilacs to seed production instead of bush development and flowering.
Therefore, you should never skip deadheading removal to encourage the plant to grow more vigorously and vibrantly. Make sure to properly trim down the faded flowers of the lilacs. Fade-out flowers are easy to detect.
People often forget suckers while pruning lilac bushes. Suckers grow from the base of the plants and they are not more of an encourager to produce buds and flowers instead, they tend to consume vital energy of the lilacs.
You need to make sure to keep an eye on the suckers at the base of lilacs. Keep in mind to eliminate all the suckers by pruning from their base. This will eventually help your lilacs to get more nutrients and energy in producing more buds and flowers.
Pruning tools are another thing people tend to ignore and skip while pruning lilacs. If you happen to use tools that are dull and dirty, your lilac bushes are more likely to get damaged, making them vulnerable to pests and diseases.
Moreover, bacteria and pathogens are often found to thrive in dirty tools, if you use such tools to prune your lilacs, there's a high probability your lilacs will get infested with the deadly pathogens. Make sure to use clean tools before pruning your plants.
Aftercare of lilacs is an equally important aspect that has been found to help the plant recover and grow stronger after pruning. If you carry out aftercare entities properly, you allow your lilacs to produce more healthy and beautiful blooms. Find out the essential aftercare tips below:
Although lilacs do not need intense fertilizers, you can lightly fertilize them after pruning using a slow-release fertilizer. This will help to boost your plant offering the essential nutrients at the time of need.
But keep in mind not to over-fertilize right after pruning, the nitrogen content of the fertilizer is found to develop more foliage rather than the flowers. It has been suggested to apply fertilizer during the early spring.
Mulching is found to help retain soil moisture so you can apply a layer of mulch around the base of your lilacs. But make sure to leave a sufficient gap between the mulch and the trunk of the lilacs, or else your plant will rot.
In addition to that, mulching helps to regulate the soil temperature during hot summers and cold winters. This will eventually protect your lilac from the severe environmental conditions.
After pruning lilac bushes, a deep watering is essential for your pruned plant. More particularly, if the weather is dry, watering plays a crucial role in the aftercare of lilac bushes. Make sure to water your plant right at the base avoiding soil splashing and wetting the foliage.
While watering, it has been suggested to avoid overhead approaches. Also, make sure to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. This will prevent your lilacs from rotting and fungal infections.
When you prune your lilacs, you also create open wounds on the plant. You should know that this wound can attract pests and diseases. Therefore, a regular inspection for any signs of infestation in your pruned plant is very crucial.
Some of the common infestations may be powdery mildew, lilac borers, and aphids. If you happen to detect any signs of these diseases on your plant, you have to take action right away. It has been recommended to apply natural insecticides such as soap-water solution and neem oil in the initial phase.
You have to protect your pruned lilac from the cold winter months. The first thing you can do is apply water and fertilizers with mulch around the base of the plant. This will protect the roots of the plant from freezing.
Besides that, you have to be very careful when choosing the time of the year to prune your lilacs. Make sure to completely avoid pruning in fall or winter, the pruned lilac will get hurt and damaged from the cold air and environment.
