flatlander
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Pee Gee Hydrangea tree pruning

Hi all
I just planted a Pee Gee that is about 4' tall, and 2' is trunked and is about 1" diameter. The branches are very soft with a plastic ribbon,(similar to police tape only more narrow) supporting the circumference. With the ribbon removed, it will no doubt droop heavily when flowering from the weight of the blooms, and I fear it will harm or destroy the branches.
My goal is to promote growth for a tall tree(8'+) and focus on the blooms after it is more mature.

How soon can I prune the blooms back to the new leafs without harming, or killing the Pee Gee?
I would like to prune them asap to prevent the branches from breaking.

Would it be better to stake and/or ribbon the branches to support them?

Thanks

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nedwina
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I'm running a bit late here, but decided to reply anyhoo~

In general, the time to prune Pee Gees is in the spring before bud set. It blooms on new wood, and you'll get bigger blooms if there are fewer branches.

That said, if you think that the branches will snap, you can certainly trim now. Cutting off branches for the blooms doesn't harm them. If you're concerned about the weight, and want to keep whatever branch length you have, just snip the blooms.

I discovered quite by accident that Pee Gees root fairly easily, so if you snip a branch, put it in water until it forms roots & then pot it up.

shadowsmom
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I discovered quite by accident that Pee Gees root fairly easily, so if you snip a branch, put it in water until it forms roots & then pot it up.
Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely give it a try now. I have several, but I'd love more. I love the fact they bloom on new growth, so if the deer trim them during the winter I still have blooms.

Deb_NY
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Nedwina.. I want to thank you .. also. :)

Which branch do you snip and put in water :?: New branch or woody one?

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nedwina
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Deb_NY wrote:Nedwina.. I want to thank you .. also. :)

Which branch do you snip and put in water :?: New branch or woody one?
Funny story: I pruned my mother's Pee Gee and carefully snipped the soft/green/new growth ends off of whole thin branches and lovingly inserted them in potting soil & put them in a warm but shady spot for them to root. Which usually works for me. They died slow & inglorious deaths, every one.

Meanwhile, I couldn't bear to just pitch the woody pieces that I had snipped from into the compost, so I cut them to about 8-12 inches long & rammed them into a vase on the porch and walked away. I think I changed the water once. They rooted fabulously in 2 or 3 weeks. I potted them up & put them in a shady spot, and will be planting them out soon, cuz they're growing like mad!

So. That's my happy accident. The pieces were 1/8 to 1/4 in diameter. Chopped at both ends! I would have called them "woody" but maybe they were "new woody" lol. At any rate, that turned out alot easier than I had ever expected. When I was rough & careless with them, that is~

The Helpful Gardener
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I would prune them when they are done blooming, when you want to dry them, or when you want cuttings, and just the tips.

Sculptural pruning (even stubbing) should be done in spring. I know of some hundred year old specimens kept as trees that look like short telephone poles after their spring haircut (they are about ten inch calipre at this point, but only five feet tall when pruned), They make amazing lollipop trees, covered in blooms this time of year...

HG



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