Gardens may look a little bit drab and unattractive during the winter months, but don’t be alarmed. As it happens, autumn and winter are great times to continue with garden maintenance to ensure that when spring comes around, your plants and flowers will be in full bloom.
Ish, a gardening expert and TikTok creator, urged fellow green thumbs to carry out a very vital task on their Japanese acers to ensure it will grow back bigger, bolder and more beautiful when spring arrives. The plant won’t look appealing for the time being, but it will have amazing benefits later down the line. In a recent video, Ish wrote in the caption: “Now is a great time to prune your Acer tree ready for a full and fabulous display of foliage next year.”
Ish said: “Late November and early December is a fantastic time to prune your deciduous trees. And deciduous is the type of plant that loses its leaves in the winter and they grow back in the spring.
“Now, the reason it’s ideal to do it right now is: whilst the tree has lost its leaves, all of the energy that’s usually in the stems and in the branches filters its way back down to the base of the stem and the root system, which means I’m free to cut as much as I want at the top without doing any damage that you would do in summer.”
Pruning in winter is also beneficial as you can usually see all of the individual branches on the plant, making it easier to identify which parts are dead and need to be removed. So get ready to grab your secateurs.
However, Ish explained that it’s not all about cutting away at the branches, but important to focus on making sure your plant isn’t “overcrowded”. Look out for any branches that are rubbing together or getting too close, and cut those back too.
To help identify stems and branches that are dead, look out for wood that’s pale brown, in comparison to the dark reddish brown the acers should usually be. These dead bits can be cut right at the base of the stem.
If you find that the stems are overcrowded at the top of the plant, Ish advised to cut the back by about a third. He said: “It’s not going to look pretty in the winter months, but in the spring, it’ll absolutely thank you. And your acer tree will look even better than it did last year.”
Pruning will help the leaves on the plant stay strong, as the cold weather can damage the leaves. In some cases, leaf scorch can lead to premature leaf drop and even dieback of small branches.
The Royal Horticultural Society noted that extra care should be taken during late winter and early spring as the seasons’ cold winds – and potential frost – as these can scorch the leaves.
You can prune now, or leave it for late December or January.
Comments are closed.