After planting your rosemary, there are other activities that need to be done to promote optimum growth. That includes pruning, but how and when can you do this? Don’t worry, in this article, I’ll explain how to go about it.
Rosemary is a perennial herb in the mint family that grows to be evergreen. For healthy growth and development, it’s critical to keep the soil and surrounding environment in good shape.
The skill and practice of pruning is a critical practice to remember for appropriate growth and development. What is pruning and how does it benefit you? What makes rosemary pruning so important?
Pruning is a horticultural or silvicultural process in which specified sections of plants are taken away. Branch, buds, and leaves are all part of it. Sharp pruning shears, loppers, pruning saw, gardening gloves, etc are all pruning tools.
It aims to remove diseased, dead, and weak branches, as well as non-productive and structurally undesirable sections, and preserve proper form and size without impacting growth, development, or output.
Read also: How Do You Take Care Of A Rosemary Plant?
When To Prune Rosemary
The following are ways to know when to prune rosemary:
- This might begin in late winter and continue throughout the spring and summer.
- It is not required, and in effect, it is not a smart option, to wait for the flowering to complete.
- Pruning too late in the season may allow new growth that hasn’t hardened in time for the first frost.
- Late July is a good time to prune in many areas, while September is a suitable time in warmer hardiness zones.
- Pruning should be done about 4-6 weeks before the first frost, as a general rule.
How To Prune Rosemary
You can prune rosemary in a pot or the bush. I’ll explain both of them below.
How to prune rosemary in a pots
This requires the use of sharp garden snips, shears, or scissors. Before repotting, remove around 2 inches of the root matter and side shoot part. For 2 to 3 days, keep the trimmed branches and roots in the shade.
This gives your rosemary time to adjust to the changes. Prune the plant’s lower sections regularly to eliminate old leaves that clog the soil. This will encourage bushier growth as well.
If you’re pruning rosemary for harvest, make sure you don’t take more than a quarter of the plant. By snipping off the top portions of the plant, you can remove 6-inch (15.2 cm) sections of fresh leaves for immediate use. The fresh top sections are ideal for cooking.
Read also: Where Does Rosemary Grow Best?
How to prune your rosemary bush
You can prune your rosemary bush using the selective thinking and heading cuts approach.
Selective Thinning
In both indoor and outdoor gardening, selective thinning is a trimming technique that is used. Simply cut the branches or axillary shoots back to where they connect to the main stem of rosemary to use this approach.
Heading Cuts
Parts of stems or branches are removed in this style of pruning. The growth of new shoots just below the cut is aided by heading cut trimming. It also provides a rosemary plant with a bushy appearance.
To stimulate new shoots, head cuts must be made when the herb is immature or in its early stages of growth. Heading cuts, on the other hand, should not be repeated. This is because it can result in a larger density of leaves at the terminals of shoots but a lower density at the back.
Related: Learn About The Benefits Of Rosemary Plant Indoors
Conclusion
I hope you find this article helpful. I would like to hear from you. Let me know if you have any questions about pruning your rosemary.
References
- “How to prune rosemary” retrieved from here
