Severe pruning will stimulate an explosion of new growth, and your pittosporum will grow back thicker and more bush-like. With its vase-shaped canopy, pittosporum also makes an attractive small tree when the limbs from the lower one-third of the trunk are removed just above the branch collars -- the small swelling where they attach to the trunk. The best place to cut is 1/4 inch (0.5 cm.) Find specific plants with our Plant Finder & Plant Selector. Shape and prune the pittosporum tree immediately after flowering. That’s a standard pittosporum that can grow to 10 feet tall and wide, so it’s not well suited to the small space you’ve provided it. Hedge trimmers cut through stems and leaves indiscriminately, and so no need exists to cut near a bud. Late-season pruning can remove the following season's blooms. How to Grow Pittosporum Propagation. Cut them flush to each specimen's main trunk. The shrub does produce small, fragrant white flowers in mid-spring, followed by red seed pods. from the ground. You can propagate pittosporum plant by seeds, but growing pittosporum from cuttings is relatively easy and better. Wipe the blades of bypass shears, hedge trimmers and a pruning saw with the soaked rag. from the ground and cut back any side branches below the first cuts. You can even grow them near your terrace, balcony or other shady areas. Annual pruning helps keep them manageable sizes. Problems. Remove the branches back to the nearest healthy wood or the main trunk. Here is a visual guide to pruning. When flowering finishes in autumn give a final prune. Look into the centre of the shrub and snip off any broken, split or wounded branches. I've done a quick google but got a little confused, with several different opinions on when is best and also me not knowing the exact type of pittosporum … Your Pittosporum hedge will require very little pruning and care. Patricia Hamilton Reed has written professionally since 1987. Remove wayward or weak branches with cuts made a quarter inch from the point of origin on the main branch or... Hedges. About Variegated Pittosporum. As a florist plant, the shrubs are cut nearly to the ground each year to harvest the long stems for use in cut-flower arrangements. 'Knockout' rose. She has a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Michigan State University, is an avid gardener and volunteers at her local botanical garden. Any time up to early July is OK. Don't prune it later than that though because … Although many overgrown, deciduous shrubs can be renewed or rejuvenated, it's mu… Most of the time, selective pruning -- cutting only a few branches, thinning them to the point where the stem originates -- is all your pittosporum needs to look good. Common varieties grown in North America are Japanese pittosporum, or Japanese mockorange (Pittosporum tobira), hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 10, and sweet pittosporum (Pittosporum undulatum), hardy in USDA zones 9 through 10. Cut each sucker back to within a quarter inch of the trunk. Cut out all dead or diseased branches of Japanese pittosporum hedges and bushes year-round. Every year after that, one third of the long, woody branches are cut back to the trunk. So badly damaged or overgrown bushes can be cut back to one-third of their height at that time, and they will produce new growth in spring. Remove all lower branches on your pittosporum, making cuts a quarter inch from the trunk stem and leaving lateral branches on the top 2 feet of growth on a 5-foot-tall shrub. The products I use - https://kit.com/HortTube This video is a detailed description of Wheeler's Dwarf Pittosporum. University of Florida IFAS Extension: Pittosporum Tobira "Variegata", Royal Horticultural Society: Hedges -- Trimming, Oregon State University: Landscape Plants, North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension: Pittosporum Tobira - Mock Orange, How to Trim Lilac, Rose of Sharon and Forsythia Bushes. ANSWER: Pittosporum tenuifolium can shed a few leaves all year round but it shouldn't be more noticeable at this time of year compared to other times. Trim back all overgrown branches to the desired length after flowering ends in midsummer. Use … © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Hard prune in spring before the buds begin to open. Variegated pittosporum can reach 8 to 12 feet tall and 12 to 18 feet wide when planted in... Hard Pruning. Although Pittosporum plants are simple and fast to grow, they still need proper nourishment. Also asked, how do you prune a Pittosporum? Old variegated pittosporums that have become leggy, too tall or misshaped are rejuvenated by cutting them back to a low, woody framework in mid-spring. What you DO want to avoid is to prune it the wrong way. No real interest in it's width being tidied, apart from a little trim perhaps. You can also dip them in rooting hormone before planting. Just remember that leaders of branches thicker than a pencil may need loppers. See how RHS can give expert advice on growing, feeding, pruning and propagating plants. If you like, you can perform the moderate method of pruning in two steps rather than three, by cutting out half of the old stems the first year and the additional half the second year. … Steps: 1 Use loppers to remove one-third of the older stems, so sunlight can penetrate the hedge's interior. Cut the main stems back to 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30.5 cm.) Develop a … Trim back lightly in april and allow for bush to heal over and to produce a small amount of new growth which will harden off by the start of winter. How Far Back Can You Prune Variegated Pittosporum? Soak a clean rag in isopropyl alcohol. Pruning to hard, anything over 1/3 can cause problems. Prune off the height of the remaining stems to the level where you want them. Use this method to disinfect the blades after each cut through dead or diseased wood. Best time to prune: Winter, spring, summer.Comments: That old adage about pruning reblooming roses back to the first five-leaflet leaf is pure manure (yum!).