One of the biggest fears you can have when caring for plants is pruning. Many times we tend to let the plant or tree grow of its own free will for fear that we will cut what we should not. However, it is a necessary activity for maintenance. And in the case of some plants, it is even more important than you think, as with the holly pruning.
If you've never done it before, and you have a holly that needs a "hairdressing" session, here we are going to talk about everything you need to know about holly pruning to eliminate that fear and work with it so that it grows as you want.
When can holly trees be pruned?
A holly can be considered a tree or a shrub. Everything will depend on how it is formed. As for pruning, it is one of the plants that best supports them, even when you go overboard with it, although it is not recommended that this happen.
The best time to get a holly is undoubtedly when it enters the dormant phase. Namely, in winter and early spring. At that time it is the ideal time to carry out pruning.
For the experts, the moment is even more precise, the end of winter, before the plant begins to sprout. To do this, you have to make sure that there is no risk of the temperature dropping too much and, being almost at the moment of growth, you make sure that the plant heals the wounds better.
Now that It does not mean that you cannot prune it at another time of year. Holly is one of the plants that does tolerate pruning in any season of the year. The problem is that you may suffer more; And not only that, but its growth slows down a bit more. But he recovers in a short time.
In addition, you must bear in mind that pruning a holly is done for a specific purpose, such as the growth of the plant, helping it to eliminate branches, leaves and flowers that are bad and making it healthy. That is why it is said that there are different types of pruning for this.
Holly pruning types
Holly pruning can be done in three different ways. Normally, depending on the needs of the plant, one or the other will be chosen, but in general you will have three different choices.
Holly pruning to clean it
These types of cuts are made to sanitize and keep the holly healthy. Its objective is to remove branches, leaves and flowers that are damaged or are useless to encourage the development of new shoots.
That is why it is an activity that can be do at any time of the year, even in full growth, because what it is about is to help it continue to grow.
This pruning is also used to cut (diagonally) the secondary shoots (those that appear on the branches and that "steal" the energy to grow). They are the first thing you have to remove before moving on to dead or damaged branches.
Flowering pruning
The next type of holly pruning is flowering. It really is the pruning itself, and takes place in late winter and early spring, since the objective is to clean the plant and prepare it for the next growth.
To do this, you have to locate the buds that have flowered, because in this plant they will not do it again. But if they are cut, new ones can emerge from them that bloom again (perhaps not that same year, but the next).
Rejuvenation pruning
These types of cuts occur with the objective of eliminating those parts of the plant that are older, to help new, young shoots give the plant more strength and make it look more showy.
In short, it is as if you were doing a rejuvenation treatment to the plant, removing the old to leave the new. Now, it can be done drastically (cutting the plant at ground level) or progressively (eliminating only 50% of it).
Tools Needed for Pruning Holly
Now that you know what are the types of holly pruning, it is time for you to know what are going to be the essential tools to undertake this gardening task. You should know that the most necessary are going to be pruning shears. It is necessary that, whenever you are going to use them, you disinfect them. The reason is that this way you avoid that any disease, plague or dirt does not affect the plant, especially because you are going to make a "wound". For this reason, we recommend that you go through the alcohol sheets and let them dry for a while before proceeding to work with them.
Another tool that some use are sealants. They spread it over the larger cuttings of the holly, in such a way as to protect it from harmful exposure to the plant.
Potted holly pruning
Holly is a well-known plant, especially around Christmas time, so it is not unreasonable to have it in a pot. Now, how to prune it?
Well, it is actually the same as if it is on the ground. You should start at the base, removing any shoots from the trunk that rob the plant of its strength. He then goes on to check the branches. Eliminate any that you see weaker, damaged or dry. You can also remove branches if you see that it is too loaded, to help it breathe.
Once you have removed that, move on to the leaves and flowers, removing any that you see damaged to encourage new ones to develop.
Finally, we recommend that put it in a place where it gives light but not direct (if it is semi-shadow better). The reason is that the plant suffers with the cuts and needs 2-3 days to recover well. In this way, you protect her from any situation that could make her sick at that time.
Now that you know more about holly pruning, it's time to practice with your plant. You can go little by little, cutting in a less "invasive" way, and as you gain confidence you can "tame" those branches to get the shape you want. Do you dare to do it? Have you ever done it? Let us know.