2726 Ian

Here at Podere Zollaio we have a very overgrown Rosemary bush which still produces in abundance, but is now some 3 metres in diameter and is very woody for two thirds of each stems length as you can imagine!
How do I prune this monster or is not possible to do in order to get it to re germinate in a smaller size?
Thanks for any help
Ian

Category
Gardening & Agriculture

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/19/2006 - 13:30

Hello Ian,

I have been growning and pruning rosemary for years, and all my rosemary is ruley and beautiful. This is the main rule I use: "Be sure to prune Rosemary only after it has bloomed (as new growth occurs, flower buds for the next year are already being set)".

Hope this helps,
Dee

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/21/2006 - 06:05

if the branches can be bent then dig a whole and force a branch down and then peg across it holding down into the hole and refill with good growing compost that drains well...if the branch is cracked at this point shouldnt matter... the branch will start dropping roots where you have it in the ground... producing a new smaller plant...

to prune anything like this that is overgrown to that degree,, it sensible to do it over two years... take one side at a time...and prune off one half hard... rosemary struggle to recover from where the wood is really hard.... but if you can spot any sign of green growth low down it should shoot from there...

one of the things about pruning is that where you prune hard the plant sends all the nourishment there...so the high side will virtually come to a stop in growth where you have cut should shoot... if you use a combination of all three methods then hopefuly your plant will survive...you will have newer fresher ones and it will be green from top to bottom...

its also very easy to take cuttings... any stem that has not produced flowers just cut off to about 3-6 inches run your fingers down the lower half and strip off the leaves make a slit in the ground with a spade and put a line of them in dropping sharp sand into the trench...then just use your foot to squash the trench closed... most if not all should grow...

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/21/2006 - 08:04

I thought they were planted in a pot in the ground (and not directly into the ground) so as to stem their over-effusive growth......