Since burning bushes are primarily grown for their foliage, you don’t need to worry too much about accidentally removing flower buds. The most vibrant foliage will grow on new branches, though, so it is still best to trim the bush before new growth has developed. When you decide to prune a burning bush for the health of the plant alone, you only need to worry about removing branches that could encourage disease to spread through the plant and destroy it. Even if you opt to prune the plant for shape, you should still prune it for health before worrying shape maintenance.
Branches are most often injured by disease, insect infestation, animals, or bad weather. Cut diseased branched down to their point of origin on the main stem. Doing so is the only way to make sure that the disease does not spread. Injured branches can be cut back to their point of origin on the main stem, or you may wish to only cut away the injured portion of the branch. In the latter case, cut the injured branch down to a side branch and make the cut 1/4 inch (6 mm) above the bud.
Cut these branches down to their point of origin on the main stem. Problem branches like these will typically grow back again in the same direction, so it is best to remove them completely instead of trimming them down.
Burning bushes tend to get large and unruly as they mature, but you can usually keep them in check by pruning them down into a desired shape. This type of pruning will keep the bush looking nice for the season while preventing it from completely taking over the space it occupies. When pruning a burning bush for shape, you must also do some pruning for health maintenance.
Consider pruning the bush into a standard cube, box, or globe hedge shape. Another option would be to trim out the lower branches, leaving only a rounded top behind. Doing so would make the burning bush look like a small tree. If you have difficulty visualizing your ideal shape, find a photograph or sketch to work from. You could also make your own sketch to help guide you through the process.
When shortening a branch or twig, cut it back to point that is 1/4 inch (6 mm) above a bud or side branch. Unless you choose to completely remove the bottom half of the bush, you should make the top of the bush slightly thinner than the bottom. Doing so will permit sunlight to reach all the leaves of the shrub. A wide top can prevent sunlight from reaching the bottom in adequate amounts, though, causing the plant to become unhealthy. [3] X Research source
Remove the oldest, tallest branches completely by cutting them back to their point of origin on the main stem. If you want to redirect inward growing branches so that they grow outward and make the bush less dense, use pruning shears to cut those inward growing branches down to an outward facing bud or branch.
Burning bushes are usually grown for their autumn foliage, so you don’t need to worry about accidentally removing flower buds when you do a summer pruning. To determine a more exact time for your summer pruning, wait until new growth reaches a length of 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm). You should prune down new growth within 2 inches (5 cm) of your spring pruning.
This type of pruning should only be done if the burning bush has become severely overgrown or sickly. A healthy burning bush should be able to grow back vigorously after a severe pruning. You may need to repeat this practice every year or every other year until all of the thick, overgrown trunks are gone. Once you are only left with thinner stems, you can let the bush grow to its desired height and maintain it with regular health or shape pruning.
When cutting the entire bush down, make sure that you leave at least 1 to 3 inches (2. 5 to 7. 6 cm) above the ground. Make sure that the cuts are clean and sharp to improve the likelihood of the bush making a full recovery.
Water the burning bush once a week during the first spring and summer. Give it water in the morning (before the full sun of afternoon hits) and make sure that the soil beneath it is thoroughly saturated. Apply fertilizer once in the early spring, shortly after you prune the bush, and a second time in the late summer or early fall, roughly two months before you expect a first frost to strike. Select a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen and follow the label instructions to determine the proper application method.
