jrmtl
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Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 1:00 pm
Location: Montreal

Lilac tree over pruned... I think :(

Hello all,

I just had a question regarding this older Lilac tree of which I never really pruned . It's kinda of a small tree but I think I may have overpruned or done wrong.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated on cutting the remaining large stems or just leave as is, please see pic below.

[img]https://farm7.static.flickr.com/6198/6133615043_23574dc610.jpg[/img]

Hopefully I didn't hurt it too much.

Thx
John

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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

Leave the poor baby alone! Give it a chance to recover from this major surgery. Next year it should start sending up new shoots. I would still leave it alone next year too. The following year, if you get more new shoots, you can cut the big old stem off at ground level and you will have a totally rejuvenated lilac bush.

jrmtl
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Posts: 40
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 1:00 pm
Location: Montreal

Thanks for the tips , so I won't cut it anymore but will it produce new stems and flowers on those big stems next year or is nothing gonna happen next year?

You saying cut at ground level after that ? Wow

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rainbowgardener
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Nope, sorry, no flowers next year. The buds for next year's flowers are set in late summer of this year. I just went out and checked my lilac to be sure, and yep, it already has the buds.

So if it doesn't have buds now, it won't flower next year. And the stems that will come up in the spring won't flower until the following year. The new stems don't come off the the old ones, they come up from the ground.

Lilacs are pruned in the spring, right after they flower. Generally they don't need a lot of pruning, but if it is getting too big or the older stems aren't producing well, the way they are pruned is to cut out no more than 1/3 of the stems at ground level. Do that for three years and you have a rejuvenated shrub. Other than that, the only pruning they need is to cut out dead wood, or to cut off branches that are crossing and rubbing on each other.

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rainbowgardener
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Just as an e.g. here's my lilac tree in the spring:



[img]https://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt102/rainbowgardener/4024%20Paddock%20garden/4-12_front_yardJPG.jpg[/img]


It is huge, probably about as old as my house, which is 90 yrs. I have never really pruned it, just as above, cut out deadwood and crossing branches.

When you see how lilacs grow, you can see that yours is planted too close to your house...

jrmtl
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Posts: 40
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 1:00 pm
Location: Montreal

Thanks for all the advice and the responses.
My lilac tree is really too close to house and I'm not sure how to let it propagate . Can it be transplanted somewhere else at this age ?



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