How many times a year should holly be pruned? When is the best time to graft holly?

Holly, also known as silver tree, is an evergreen plant with deep red fruits and a light fragrance, which makes it very suitable for bonsai. Holly has strong growth ability and sprouts easily, so it needs to be pruned frequently.

How many times a year should holly be pruned?

If it is in the stage of accumulating branches, we will generally choose to keep the reserved branches for a long time, and when they grow to a suitable thickness, we will choose to prune the potted plants in winter.

If it is a bonsai, we divide the maintenance period into two stages. They are May to June and September to October. These two time periods have a common feature. Before pruning, there are more than two months of new shoot growth, and after pruning, the bonsai also has one to two months of production time.

From May to June, the quality of the branches will be very large. We have ample space to choose branches for shaping. Applying fertilizer in time after pruning can promote the growth of this branch. After September and October, it is about to enter late autumn. The potted plants will have a peak period of secondary growth. For example, after we prune, the sprouting branches can be coiled and some autumn fertilizer can be applied at the same time. Store certain nutrients for wintering.

When is the best time to graft holly trees?

Holly tree grafting is usually carried out in early spring when buds sprout, and can be done by cut grafting, belly grafting, or cleft grafting.

The use of grafting to propagate flowers and trees requires closely related species of the same family and genus, or even different varieties of the same species, for the grafting to succeed. Otherwise, if the grafting is incompatible, no matter how advanced the grafting technology is, the tree will not survive.

In the production of holly trees, it more refers to the Ligustrum lucidum of the genus Ligustrum of the Oleaceae family. It can be used as a rootstock, and branches of osmanthus, lilac, and colorful leaf plants such as Ligustrum lucidum can be grafted onto it as needed, so that it can heal into a new plant with a symbiotic relationship.

Holly Pruning Tips

Holly trees grow quickly, sprout a lot, and are relatively resistant to pruning. They only need to be pruned once in the summer, and you can cut off some dead and old branches and overly dense branches according to your preference. Then they can be pruned again in the autumn, into a flat shape, a round shape, or other shapes.

During the spring budding period, some modeling overhaul and simplification can be carried out. According to the needs of your own modeling, unnecessary branches can be shortened or cut off. It is recommended to cut off branches in places where the branches are full. It is best to consider the appearance of the branches first, and then start pruning.

In the summer, you can pinch the plants, mainly to maintain the shape of the crown. Because during the period of vigorous growth of holly, it is very easy to have uneven growth, and this method can be used to make some slight adjustments.