- 1). Prune lilacs annually immediately after the plant finishes blooming in spring. For Chinese lilacs that bloom in mid-May, this is typically in late May or early June, depending on the climate and spring weather in your area. Clip early sprays of blossoms to bring indoors in order to enjoy their color and fragrance. Cutting sprays simplifies the pruning job to follow when the flowers are spent and the plant turns to green foliage and buds for the summer. Use pruning shears for new shoots, a small saw for thicker old growth, and gloves to save your hands from a tough job.
- 2). Begin the annual trim with dead or diseased branches, move on to several of the oldest and largest branches and cut them at ground level. Reduce new shoots to no more than 10 or 15 and trim those back about one-third, to the first branch union. Follow this trim strategy to safeguard the health and future blooms of the lilac.
- 3). Trim Chinese lilacs to preserve at least seven to 10 sturdy stems of different ages to encourage a profusion of blooms. Evaluate the plant for vigorous growth and number of shoots when determining how much to prune. Removing some mature growth helps to protect the plant from a common lilac pest, the lilac borer. The insects prefer old wood and tunnel into the stems, often killing them. Trimming some older stems decreases the chances of an infestation of lilac borers.
- 4). Remove enough new growth on the top of the plant to allow sunlight to penetrate to the middle. The foliage and the new stems of the Chinese lilac grow quickly. New stems can multiply so rapidly that the center of the shrub doesn't bloom because it can't get enough sun. Trimming the top substantially promotes more uniform buds and blossoms the following season.
- 5). Cut away any stems damaged by oystershell scale as soon as you see it. Oystershell scale looks like tiny white oyster shells clustered on the trunk, branches and twigs. The white scale actually hides small sucking insects that feed on lilacs. Remove affected areas to remove the pest.
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