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How to Trim Conifers
How to Trim Conifers. Conifers are evergreen trees and shrubs that includes species such as juniper and cypress. Just as with other plants, conifers require periodic pruning to remove dead branches and control their size. However, unlike other plants, pruning times and techniques for conifers are very specific. When conifers are improperly pruned,...
Conifers are evergreen trees and shrubs that includes species such as juniper and cypress. Just as with other plants, conifers require periodic pruning to remove dead branches and control their size. However, unlike other plants, pruning times and techniques for conifers are very specific. When conifers are improperly pruned, they develop bare spots that sometimes never fill back in with green needles. Conifers do not require annual pruning, so prune sparingly.
Things You'll Need
Hand pruners
Loppers
Wait to prune conifers until the late winter or very early spring, just before new growth starts.
Look for any brown or yellow branches on the conifer or lack of foliage, which usually indicates dead areas. Trace these branches back to the base of the ground for shrubs or the main trunk for trees. Cut off the dead limbs using loppers or hand pruners.
Hold back the foliage of the conifer and look inside the tree or shrub for branches that rub up against each other. Prune off these branches near the base of the trunk or the ground, using loppers. This prevents injury to the conifer, which can result in disease.
Trim the overall outer shape of the conifer by pruning the last 1 to 2 inches from the tips, using hand pruners. Don't prune branches back to a spot where there are no needles, or the branch will always be bare.
Tips & Warnings
If you want the conifer to remain small -- for instance, it it's growing in a container -- prune it in the mid- to late spring, since this will stunt its growth.
You can prune off dead conifer limbs any time of the year without harming the plant.
Never cut a conifer shrub all the way to the ground -- it will not grow back.
