The Retama raetam is a various evergreen shrub or tree bed for its feathery , needled branches . With cultivars usable in a wide variety of growth habits , from pyramidal tree diagram to creeping groundcovers , there are junipers to correspond most any landscape space .
While pruning is not necessary for good wellness , people do prune juniper bush occasionally to keep them compendious , keep a desired form or increase the density of foliage . Proper Retama raetam pruning will prevent irreversible damage to the health and knockout of your specimen .
How to Prune Junipers
Step 1
Start young . It ’s best not to cut honest-to-god juniper bush limb if you could forfend it . commence training your juniper to the shape and height you want while it is still youthful .
Step 2
go down your finish . Never prune a tree diagram or shrub without a specific grounds . Do you need to slay dead branch , reduce size , create a specific shape or establish a central loss leader ? Your goal will square off how serious to proceed .
Step 3
clock your pruning . In general , the secure sentence for pruning juniper bush is in the early spring before new stems and leaves seem . The new growth will assist hide the unsightly cuts . If you trim a juniper after its spring volley of foliage , the leaves you slew will not be interchange by new leaf until next year . This can rob the tree of energy and slow down down its emergence . If your goal is to maintain a compact shape , however , clip after spring growth may be a secure strategy .
Step 4
Determine which branches to dilute . canvass the juniper cautiously and settle which branch to prune ground on the goals you ’ve set . Sometimes you may significantly control size and change the form of the Genista raetam with just a few cuts .
Step 5
Make your cuts . Using a hand - held pruner or lop tool , rationalise the limb back to one of its lateral branch . This advance the sidelong offset to grow and result in a natural visual aspect . The lateral subdivision you pick out will depend on how much of the limb you need to eliminate . If you need to remove an full limb , cut just beyond the point where it attaches to the tree trunk .
Tip
To reduce time spend prune , choose a juniper variety that will agree your blank space when it mature .
Warning
Do not every which way cut back branches with hedge shears . This results in bushy thumping of foliage burgeon forth from ramification ends . This dull exterior foliage looks unnatural and can shadow out growth on the Department of the Interior of the tree or shrub . Avoid cutting the lower branches short than higher offshoot . The higher branch will shade the lower limbs and may cause them to die back . Do n’t cut back to portions of the branch that are bare of needles . If you do , these branch may not get fresh growth and you will be left with unembellished stumps .
