You may be worried about pruning your loosestrife given the beautiful red flowers. But if you pay attention to the right time and the right procedure, you will not cause any damage to the plant.
When and how should you cut loosestrife?
You should cut loosestrife back to the ground in spring or autumn. Significant pruning is not absolutely necessary, but to control proliferation, manually remove seed heads and spent plant parts.
Time
The ideal time to cut loosestrife is spring. Alternatively, you can do the cutting in autumn. In doing so, remove the dead sprout. The cut is made close to the ground.
Note: Loosestrife does not contain any toxic plant juices. Gloves are therefore not absolutely necessary. Aside from taking measures to prevent skin irritation, you should still protect yourself from cuts. We therefore still recommend wearing solid finger protection. You should also pay attention to the he alth of the plant and only work with sterile tools.
Is pruning necessary?
With a maximum height of 2 m, loosestrife remains relatively small. A significant pruning is therefore not absolutely necessary. However, you should pay attention to one feature:
When is pruning recommended?
The purple loosestrife is very prolific. This can quickly lead to an excessive population in your own garden. To prevent this, do not actually prune, but remove the seed heads manually. This is the only way to avoid independent sowing. By removing dead plant parts, you prevent seeds from forming.
Note: As an alternative to pruning, you can also divide your loosestrife if it spreads too lushly in the garden.
Short the root ball too
When dividing, it is advisable to also reduce the volume of the root ball slightly. The measure contributes to the rejuvenation of the plant. However, you should not use them too often. An interval of 5 years is advisable. How to proceed:
- Time: in spring, when the first shoots sprout
- cut off pieces of about 15 cm with the spade
- leave sufficient roots on the mother plant
- remove woody roots with secateurs
Pruning in case of illness?
The purple loosestrife is extremely robust against pests and generally does not suffer from diseases that require pruning.
