How and when to prune lilacs in spring and autumn? How and when to prune lilacs for favorable growth and flowering How to properly prune lilacs after flowering scheme.

The quintessence of spring and the anticipation of the coming summer. For three weeks in city parks and squares, along roads, in summer cottages and household plots you can admire the bushes blooming lilac. Delicate violet, purple, pinkish and white inflorescences, a unique sweetish aroma make the heart tremble shrink.

Why prune lilac?

In order for the lilac to bloom profusely, have a beautiful bush shape, and not degenerate over time, it is necessary special care, the most important part of which is cropping.

If this event is carried out correctly and on time, then you will be able to:

rejuvenate the bush;
form a beautiful crown;
stimulate the growth of shoots and flowering;
prevent the development of fungal diseases.

The first two years, the young lilac bush grows slowly, so you can completely refuse to cut the shoots, or carry it out moderately, removing the green ends of the branches, while maintaining 3-4 pairs of lower buds.

When cutting lilacs in height, remember that flower buds laid in the upper part of the shoot a few weeks after flowering.

Removing young branches that have grown this year, flowering next spring may not occur or be very scarce.

When should lilacs be cut?

For various purposes, Lilacs can be pruned all year round. But the ideal time is considered to be the end of spring - the beginning of summer, and it is associated with the flowering period of the bush.

Pruning before flowering

Before the lilac begins to bloom, you should not adjust the height of the plant so as not to remove the flower buds. But if the bush has grown strongly, obscures other plants and blocks the path, remove or shorten the interfering branches. To make flowering last longer, remove a small part of the inflorescences.

Pruning after flowering

When the flowering of the lilac has come to an end, it is necessary to carefully remove all wilted inflorescences. If this is not done, the energy-consuming process of seed formation will begin, which can greatly weaken the bush.

Scheme for pruning faded lilacs:

Study carefully upper part lilac shoot: it will resemble a trident, where there is an inflorescence in the middle, and opposite branches extend to the right and left.
Cut the wilted inflorescence with secateurs, trying not to injure the branches located nearby, as flower buds will form on them.
If the bush has grown strongly in height, shorten long shoots, but keep in mind that flowers will appear on them only after one year.

Pruning during flowering

There is an opinion that breaking off the flowering branches of lilacs has a beneficial effect on the plant. But it's not. The broken places heal for a very long time, the direction of growth of the branches changes, and sometimes such a rough attitude can lead to the drying of the entire shoot.

How to cut a lilac for a bouquet:

Use a sharp knife or secateurs.
It must be remembered: cutting the lilac too low (with foliage), remove the shoots which should bloom next year. Make a low bouquet, it will last much longer, and the bush will not suffer.
Align the bouquet cut with the shaping cut. Remove flowering branches that grow vertically, thicken the crown and place them in a vase.

How to grow more crops?

Any gardener and summer resident is pleased to receive big harvest from large fruits. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to get the desired result.

Plants often lack nutrition and useful minerals

It has the following properties:

Allows increase yield by 50% in just a few weeks of use.
You can get good harvest even on low-fertility soils and in adverse climatic conditions
Absolutely safe

General rules for pruning lilacs

It does not matter when pruning and shaping of the bush is carried out: in spring, summer or autumn. Do you want the lilac to bush better or, on the contrary, thin out the crown, rejuvenate the bush or set the direction for the growth of branches.

General rules for pruning lilacs, which will help not to injure the plant too much:

For cutting, use a well-sharpened tool. The cut should be flat, without protruding fibers. Due to a blunt pruner or saw, the wound will take a very long time to heal.
Do not prune during or immediately after rain.
You need to cut the branch over a well-developed kidney trying to keep the cut area as small as possible.
Cut a large branch in several stages: first cut with pruners small side shoots, then remove the main part at a height of 20-30 cm, cut the base into a ring, leaving a stump 2-3 cm high.
Lilac gives abundant root shoots, try to cut it along with the underground part.
Remove one shoot out of four. This technique will stimulate flowering and make the bush neat. Choose weakened, uneven branches growing inside the crown for removal.
To keep water from stagnating on cut surfaces, they are made at an angle.
Pruning the old lilac bush, you need to strive to reduce the distance between the crown and the root system.
15-20 minutes after trimming, large sections are treated with putty– sterile, waterproof and antiseptic ( garden pitch, paint, green).

Autumn pruning for winter

Autumn - good time for planting lilacs. At this time you can spend sanitary pruning to prepare for winter: remove dried, diseased branches, root shoots.

If you cut the bush very much or completely to the ground, this will cause the active growth of green shoots from dormant buds in the root zone of the plant. Tender young twigs are unlikely to survive the winter. Experienced gardeners do not recommend removing autumn period more than 15-20% of the crown.

Stories from our readers!
“I am a summer resident with many years of experience, and I started using this fertilizer only last year. I tested it on the most capricious vegetable in my garden - on tomatoes. The bushes grew and bloomed together, the harvest was more than usual. And they didn’t get sick with late blight, this is the main thing.

Fertilizer really gives more intensive growth garden plants, and they bear fruit much better. Now you can’t grow a normal crop without fertilizer, and this top dressing increases the number of vegetables, so I am very pleased with the result."

How to prune lilacs in spring?

In early March, when the first vegetative buds appear on the lilac, proceed to the main pruning of the bush. cook necessary tools(secateurs, file) and carefully examine your bush: appearance, thickness of old branches, condition of the bark.

When pruning, save at least 2/3 of the bush. Yes, you will provide sunlight and air circulation inside the crown, and will not cause violent growth of unproductive young shoots.

What needs to be removed:

After pruning, 5-8 multidirectional stems up to 3 cm thick should remain in the lilac bush - this will be the shaping skeleton. Do not allow branches to reach a diameter of more than 4 cm. Replace old branches once every 3-4 years.

Features of anti-aging pruning

The flowering of bushes that have reached the age of 12-15 can become rather scarce:

The inflorescences become smaller, the bark is covered with a fungal coating.
The crown rises high above the ground, which does not look aesthetically pleasing and interferes with care.

The old bush needs to be rejuvenated, but it is better to do it gradually:

First, straight strong shoots are selected from the root shoots.(you can mark them with ribbons), which grow for 2-3 years and gradually replace the main skeletal branches.
In a year, you need to cut 1-2 old trunks. So you can save continuous annual flowering and carefully revive the middle-aged lilac bush.

A more radical way to rejuvenate lilacs is pruning on a stump:

All shoots are cut at a height of 10-15 cm above the soil level.
Numerous young shoots grow from the stumps with healthy, larger foliage.
Part of the growth is removed, and a new compact bush is formed from the rest.

Such a lilac will bloom not earlier than in 3-4 years. This manipulation is carried out in early spring. This type of pruning is rarely used for ordinary (ordinary) lilac, it is suitable for Hungarian lilac.

How to cut a lilac in the form of a tree?

Standard lilac will become an exotic highlight of any garden. On a flower garden, in a group of shrubs or in the form solitary landing on the lawn, the lilac tree will certainly attract attention.

Tips for the formation of lilacs on the trunk:

Forming a tree from a lilac bush begins 3-4 years after planting.
In the spring, when the snow melts, a straight high (more than 1 m) shoot is selected from the bush.
Within a radius of 20 cm from the stem, it is chopped off with a shovel root system.
Secateurs cut out all nearby growing root shoots.
With the appearance of buds in the upper part of the future tree, a varietal lilac is grafted
At the end of summer young plant transplanted to a sunny, weed-free place.
Every year, early in spring or summer, after flowering, shaping pruning is carried out on the standard lilac.

Here is the main algorithm of actions:

remove root shoots;
blind all visible buds on the stem;
the main branches of the crown (5-7 shoots) should evenly surround the trunk in the form of a spiral, cut off excess branches into a ring;
shoots that thicken the crown, cut to the base;
remove the ends of young shoots to stimulate their growth.

How to prune a lilac in a hedge?

Not every lilac is suitable for creating a hedge. Choose undersized varieties with a rounded compact crown.

The green lilac fence is very beautiful and practical - it is not blown by the wind, retains dust, and creates sound insulation.

How to cut a lilac in a hedge:

Lilac in the hedge

Before pruning lilac bushes, sharpen the tool and prepare the garden pitch for processing large sections: dissolve over low heat and mix well 300 g of lard, 600 g of paraffin, 1 kg of crushed rosin.
During flowering, pay attention to young shoots. If they are poorly developed, cut off some of the inflorescences, otherwise they may not appear next year.
To avoid damage to lilacs by fungi and pests, remove frozen rotted branches in early spring.
Lilac is wonderful to tolerate vaccination and therefore suitable for botanical excrement. Up to 10 can be grafted per bush different varieties lilacs.
If you do not cut the lilac regularly, it runs wild and degenerates: flowers appear at the very top of the bush, the lower stems are exposed, and the plant itself can reach 4-5 meters in height.
Maintain a ratio between young and old shoots. Remove several large trunks annually.

Bush care after pruning

Even gentle pruning injures the bush. And then after this event it is worth taking care of the plant. Sick remote branches are subject to destruction. slices large diameter lubricated with drying oil or garden pitch.

To preserve the decorative effect of lilac, which consists primarily in lush bloom, it is necessary to cut the shrub regularly. If this is not done, then much fewer flower brushes are formed, since the root system cannot cope with the excess number of branches and the plant simply does not have the strength to form flowers.

The need for autumn pruning of lilac bushes

Most gardeners prefer to prune lilac bushes in early spring - before sap flow or immediately after flowering. It is not recommended to do this in the fall, since you can remove the emerging flower buds. But autumn pruning plants are much easier to tolerate, as they are already preparing for wintering and are at rest. Therefore, subject to certain rules for lilacs, this procedure will be very useful.

Autumn pruning is more easily tolerated by shrubs

Pruning in the fall is required to solve the following tasks:

bookmark more flower buds on the remaining branches;
forming a crown of the desired shape;
prevention of the appearance of insect pests and various diseases to which neglected bushes are more susceptible;
shrub rejuvenation.

Autumn pruning of lilacs is carried out with a sanitary, shaping and rejuvenating purpose.

Technology of autumn pruning of lilac bushes

Autumn pruning of lilacs can be carried out according to different schemes.

Video: lilac pruning scheme

Pruning sanitary

Every autumn, during the preparation of lilacs for winter, you need to carefully examine all the bushes in order to identify and remove:

dried, broken and crooked branches;
shoots growing inside the bush, as well as competing and crossing;
old, cracked and lichen-covered branches;
superfluous and thickening the crown of young shoots;
faded brushes, if they are not cut in the summer.

During sanitary pruning, all unnecessary, unnecessary, old, broken and diseased branches are removed.

If the plant has been grafted, then all shoots below the grafting site must be cut out.

Video: autumn lilac pruning

Pruning forming

The lilac crown is formed after the third year of life for several years:

Choose no more than 4-5 strong strong shoots, well located in space. All the rest are neatly cut down near the ground. The tops of the left skeletal branches are cut at the same height.
A year later, they are already working with branches on skeletal branches. Leave the most developed shoots located in the upper tier and directed outward. The branches going inside the bush, intersecting and thickening the crown, must be cut out.
The next season, a similar operation is carried out, trying to avoid visible voids in the crown or excessive thickening of the branches.

Formative pruning of lilacs is carried out after three years

In the future, it remains only to maintain the resulting form.

I like to form a lilac in the form of a tree. To do this, I leave one central branch, which will be the trunk. I remove all the rest. Upon reaching the desired height, I pinch the stem, stopping its growth. Then I choose four strong outward branches and work with them in the future. I constantly get rid of unnecessary growth.

Any plant belonging to the order of the Higher has terrestrial and underground systems. Refers to terrestrial crown, stem or stem, which for various monocot plants are called boles, while the plant itself will be called boles. The underground part consists of the root system, which includes various skeletal roots and many thin root hairs.

The overground and underground systems are interconnected. The growth and development of one system is impossible without the growth and development of another. Therefore, absolutely any external influence on the crown has a direct effect on the root system of plants, and vice versa. The task of any gardener is to minimize external stimuli or try to ensure that the influence is always justified. Most often, on an intuitive level, the gardener adheres to certain norms for maintaining decorativeness.

To cut or not to cut?

In the spring, there is a risk of removing the flower bud, which, in turn, is located on the very top of the shoot. It is also not recommended to align the lilac in height and carry out forming pruning.

Most often, forming pruning combines sanitary removal of shoots. Held in summer months immediately after flowering and includes:

Next, trim the tops and branches. This is done in order to create a smooth and beautiful crown. Do not forget about the new growth, which also needs to be removed. It is important to remember that too dense pruning of the crown, in which the operation of the root system changes, in turn, can provoke active growth of shoots.

In the spring, deep digging of the soil is unacceptable, especially in tree trunks. In this case, the uppermost, most physiologically active roots are damaged. There is a reaction aerial parts of a plant, namely, thin and short shoots are gaining weight. Flower buds are formed only on a well-lit part of the crown. Based on this reaction, lilacs are cut annually to about 15–17% of total number branches. Under young plants, the soil is loosened shallowly - up to 8 cm, while under older plants it is necessary to dig up the soil up to 15 cm.

Many gardeners are of the opinion that lilac pruning is an unnecessary event. The postulate is this: if it grows, let it grow as it wants and where it wants. However, opinions differ: some gardeners are constantly trying to level, cut, file. Experience has shown that more often than not, the end result of constantly cutting something is worse than that of the first. Everyone knows that cutting plants, as well as forming a crown, is a must, but do it once a year and do it right.

In ordinary broad-leaved lilac and some other species, shoots branch in a false dichotomous type. This happens when from top node an annual shoot sprouts not one, but several new shoots. On one shoot, many shoots are formed due to the germination of buds on the nodes located below, and this several times increases the total number of shoots on one bush.

Accordingly, in the spring, the root system is unable to increase much in size. Based on this, every year the plant has fewer shoots and inflorescences, and the overall decorative effect of the entire bush also deteriorates sharply. Only through proper annual pruning can thickening of the crown be avoided and improve general form the whole plant.

Trimming methods

To do the procedure yourself, you should learn how to properly trim the lilac. There are two main ways to trim lilacs:

pruning branches, crowns and damaged shoots;
removal of inflorescences that have already faded through a cut with a width of not more than 0.4 cm in diameter.

Large-sized lilacs will not grow in place of old inflorescences, so it is necessary to cut off old inflorescences. It is advisable to lubricate the cut well with garden pitch, otherwise the plant will begin to rot. The rot will subsequently penetrate into the middle of the skeletal branches, and gradually healthy tree will turn into dust.

Lilac can be grown as a small tree or bush. The crown of plants is formed in three years old, adult bushes should have several trunks. Among the large number of shoots or branches, 4–5 of the largest and strongest are selected, which are directed in different directions relative to the center of the plant. All the rest are cut along the ring, and in the future, in order to avoid the emergence of new shoots, the crown is thinned out every year in the central part.

Thanks to this method thick branches do not appear in the crown, the removal of which will mean severe injury to the plant. For the old bush that has a large number of trunks, this is acceptable, because after the removal of the old shoot, a new one is formed in its place. The latter grows from the bud of the root zone, which will take two and a half years.

Standard plants have a single stem, and because of this, it is protected from any mechanical damage from the very beginning of crown formation. Lilac pruning occurs in the spring, and this process begins in order to reduce the height of the trunk to 1 m. In the fall, the occulants begin to grow with shoots, and for the next spring, gardeners choose six of the strongest and strongest. And all the rest are cut around the ring. Abandoned shoots must be about the same distance to make the crown look symmetrical. This will make it possible to give the plant stability and strength.

In all subsequent years, shoots and young branches that are superfluous should be removed immediately. Shoots that grow from dormant buds must be removed as soon as they have sprouted. Thanks to this method, the cuts will never be more than 2-3 cm in diameter, and this, in turn, ensures the durability of the trunk and its skeletal branches. However, if for some reason one or several branches in the crown that have significant diameters were not removed in a timely manner, there is no need to cut them. By their presence, they will cause less harm to the plant than the wound formed after their removal will cause.

When to prune

As a gardener, you will have to decide for yourself when and how to prune lilacs.

Warning! Never exercise pruning lilacs in the summer, since it is in the summer months that the most active budding occurs. An inexperienced gardener can intervene in the process and unknowingly remove just those shoots that have tuned in to the most lush flowering.

It is necessary to trim the crown in early spring or, which is most favorable for growth, after flowering has ended. Then faded inflorescences and dry branches are removed.

Lilac lovers know that if the old inflorescences of varieties such as common and broad-leaved lilacs are not removed or removed late (in August-September), everything nutrients will go to formation of seeds and fruits. There will be nothing left to lay flower buds, and later, next spring, the plant will not bloom. Therefore, pruning of inflorescences must be started as soon as the lilac has faded.

There is a certain pattern: the more petals in the flowers of any variety relative to their wild relative, the less fruit they form. Bushes are the first to be cut, the flowers of which are non-double - this is more than half of the lilac varieties. The second - semi-double inflorescences, such as: Marshal Lann, Violetta Belle. Last but not least - with terry and densely double inflorescences: Madame Lemoine, Madame Casimir, Fires of Donbass, Taras Bulba, Lavoisier and others. In this case, thanks to the pruning of inflorescences, you can significantly improve decorative look lilacs.

Varieties that do not bear fruit, for example, Beauty of Moscow, Lesya Ukrainka, are pruned at any time, they can be pruned even in winter. In physiological terms, the presence or absence of an inflorescence in their crown does not have any effect on the formation of flower buds. In these species, inflorescences are most often not pruned, because, regardless of the number and yield of seeds, every year they bloom very profusely. However, there is an exception - this is the Beijing Lilac, which, provided that the fruiting proceeds at the maximum level, cannot form flower buds and will not bloom next year.

Spring pruning negatively affects the appearance of the lilac bush, as pruning spots (dips) may not disappear before flowering begins. That is, when the crown will bloom in next time, there will appear dark spots, which visually worsens the overall appearance of the bush.

Lilac care includes competent and timely pruning. This procedure has been one of the most important for many years, since the lilac plant is not pretentious and can do without water, withstand high temperatures and hard frost. The first two years, pruning bushes should not be done, only when the bushes have strong branches. If you planted the seedlings correctly, took into account all the requirements of the plant for the place and the soil, you take good care of it - this is the key to long-term and high-quality flowering. Bushes need pruning, which can be of three varieties:

Pruning should not be excessive, you can remove no more than twenty percent of the branches in the crown. It is not necessary, cutting thick branches, that is, branches more than three centimeters.

When and how to prune lilacs before and after flowering

Lilacs need to be trimmed regularly, from the third year of life.
Lilac pruning after flowering should be carried out with disinfected garden shears or a special knife
It is advisable to fertilize the lilac in the spring, it is good to use organic compounds, but do not do this at the same time as pruning branches. Phosphorus and potash fertilizer of the soil is desirable to be carried out in the fall in two years for the third.
In early spring it is necessary to choose on a bush about seven - eight long branches, which are the most distant from each other and create the shape of a plant. Small branches that grow inward should be cut off completely, and the rest should be reduced in size.
Sanitary pruning is carried out every spring, when the buds appear.
Then the faded inflorescences are cut off, without branches, this should be done as soon as the bush fades, otherwise next year the lilac will bloom worse or not at all.
Places of cuts must be lubricated with special paint.
You need to cut off the fatty shoots.
It is also necessary to form a beautiful shape of the bushes.
Remove diseased or dead branches.

So, sanitary pruning is carried out in spring and autumn, taking into account all the pruning rules. If you are cutting for correct formation bush, you need not to hook the kidneys. If the bushes have grown strongly and lost their shape, then it is necessary to shorten its strongly elongated branches until the buds swell.

Lilac bush formations

In the third year, it is worth starting the formation of the so-called skeleton of the bush, by carefully trimming it. In early spring, from seven to eleven beautifully arranged branches are found in the crown of the bush, which give a rounded shape to the plant - they become the basis of the so-called skeleton. The remaining branches are cut to desired length and forms. During pruning, respect important rule- short shoots that grow inside the bush are completely removed, and those directed to its outskirts are reduced. This stimulates the thickening of the skeletal branches. The so-called haircut is needed not only for beauty, but also for medicinal purposes. The growth around the bushes is destroyed as needed.

Rejuvenation of lilac bushes

Lilac care also involves rejuvenation of the bushes. Rejuvenation is in many ways similar to sanitary pruning, but there are differences. It is important that it must be carried out late autumn or even in winter. Another feature of rejuvenation is that branches, regardless of thickness, are cut short enough. Exactly this best opportunity in order to form the shape of lilac bushes. The cut point is also smeared oil paint or garden pitch. After rejuvenation, the bushes bloom profusely in the second year. Whether it is necessary to cut a bush for these purposes every year, the answer is categorical - no, you can’t. Once every two or three years.

The anti-aging pruning scheme will be very useful for beginner gardeners.

Pruning lilac bushes for bouquets

If you want to make a bouquet, it is recommended to cut no more than a third of flowering inflorescences from healthy bushes. Need to cut early morning. A lilac cut from a young bush costs better than one taken from an old specimen. The flowers should be open, but not completely. Before placing the bouquet in a vase, it is necessary to make oblique cuts. Effective way is - crushing the ends of the branches, for example with a hammer. You can often add citric or acetic acid to the water so that the flowers will please you with their appearance and aroma longer. But whether it is necessary to add sugar for these purposes is a moot point. Many florists believe that it is absolutely impossible.

Lilac pests

garden var

Garden pitch, which is necessary after pruning the bushes, can be done on your own. The recipe is quite simple. It is necessary to melt the rosin and wax, and add to this mass sunflower oil. Then everything must be thoroughly mixed and immediately removed from the oven. Var must be brought to a thick state, then pour into a jet of water. Then, removing excess water, let the var dry, then pour into a container for further storage.

If the var has crystallized over time, it must be melted and sunflower oil added before use. You can store this composition for up to four years.

Conclusion

So, caring for lilacs involves regular pruning of the bush. Proper pruning after flowering determines how abundantly the bushes will bloom next year. Lilac fertilizer is needed, as well as pruning, but one must not overdo it with nitrogen fertilizers, because the lilac will not bloom enough, and it is worse to endure frost or even frost on the soil. You can not break off flowering branches, you need to carefully cut them with garden shears. If you know how to properly care for lilacs and take into account the basic rules, you can achieve excellent results and flowering bush will make you happy for a long time.

Planting lilacs in the country - good way decorate and diversify the landscape of the site, because the flowering of the tree and the smell of inflorescences are so good that they freely delight the soul.

In addition, the lilac is very unpretentious, and it is very easy to care for it, which no doubt gives another plus to the shrub. But forgetting about timely pruning, you can start the growth of dense crowns of inflorescences, which will not only worsen the appearance of the plant, but can also kill it.

Why prune lilac?

Pruning a bush is carried out not only for the sake of good flowering. If you forget about this mandatory procedure, lilac can grow up to 5-6 m in height.

Such an overall tree is unlikely to have a positive effect on appearance plot, moreover, it can lead to more unpleasant consequences (branches will climb into the windows, they can hook wires, and so on).

But by keeping the balance of old and new stems, you can facilitate the growth of the shrub, which in return will please both flowers and smell. Of course, new shoots will not immediately begin to bloom, but the flowering of old ones can be improved.

Note! If you carry out regular annual pruning, in a couple of years the tree will become like a purple flowering ball.

When should lilacs be cut?

In addition to the fact that once a year old branches must be cut off for rejuvenation, new shoots need no less processing. Therefore, a secateurs will be needed in different time of the year. The pruning procedure is usually carried out in early spring or late summer - these periods are associated with the flowering of the bush.