Gentian bushes require a lot of care. This also applies to the cut, which must be carried out very carefully. If you prune too much, you will only stimulate branch growth. If a gentian tree hardly blooms anymore, incorrect pruning is often to blame.
When and how should you cut the gentian bush?
When cutting the gentian bush, the best time is spring. Only the outer tips should be carefully cut off. For shrubs that are lazy to bloom, you should wait until the first flowers appear so as not to remove shoots that will bloom later.
The right time to prune
- Spring pruning
- In between cutting
- Topiary cutting for tall trunks
- Cutting before wintering
Spring is the best time to cut back the gentian bush. Do this carefully. Only cut off the outer tips, especially on younger bushes.
When it comes to bushes that are slow to bloom, you have to be particularly careful about what you cut. In this case, it is best to wait until the shrub produces its first flowers. Then you don't accidentally remove shoots that would bloom later.
Cut the gentian tree occasionally
If shoots protrude very strongly from the crown, you can also remove them from time to time. Here too, it is better to cut off too little than too much.
Cut before moving to winter quarters
You should only care for a gentian bush if you can offer it a sufficiently large winter quarters in winter. This is especially true for the crown, which can become very expansive.
You should only shorten the shrub in an emergency before bringing it into the house. This is especially true for younger gentian bushes. The older specimens can also tolerate a little more vigorous pruning.
In any case, you should cut as little as possible so that the gentian bush produces many flowers next year.
Cutting the gentian bush as a standard tree
Gentian bushes are usually offered as standard trees in this country. Specialist nurseries use chemical compressing agents to maintain this shape, which is unnatural for the gentian tree.
If you really want to grow the gentian bush as a standard tree, get some compressing agent such as Cycocel from the nursery. The remedy also stimulates flower formation.
Always wear gloves when cutting
The gentian bush is highly poisonous. Therefore, always wear gloves when cutting and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
Tips & Tricks
In its South American homeland, the gentian tree reaches heights of up to four meters. The shoots grow drooping. The bushes have very large crowns or are often grown on a scaffold like a climbing plant.
