Pruning Podocarpus

[mannymendez25]

What is the best way to prune Podocarpus? lets assume I want my hedges to grow 10 feet. Should I let them grow wild to 10 feet then prune or should I prune so they get full and fluffy every so often and eventually let them reach the 10 feet?

 

[cpp gardener]

Trim any completely wild growth over 2’ long in half to develop a strong bushy plant.

 

[oneeye]

Post a photo because it really depends on where the plants are planted and the location of the Sun.

 

[mannymendez25]

Here is a current picture and one when I planted them in 2021. They have grown pretty fast but as you can see in the current picture, they are not full and bushy. I do trim the branches that poke out towards the house. Should I trim the tops so they get bushy then continue to let them grow to my desired height or should I just let them reach my desired height first?

 

[oneeye]

Yes but make your cuts at the node and don't leave any wood above the node. I would hand prune each highest top to assure the prune heals without leaving behind any dead wood. Yews can be finicky about pruning. If you take the time needed you can prune the highest tops allowing the lower branches to grow upwards and become thicker. Don't wack them with shears to save time, only use sanitized hand pruners and make single cuts.

 

[mannymendez25]

what do you mean by "cut at the node"? And "leaving behind any dead wood"?

 

[cpp gardener]

A ‘node’ is where there is, or was, a leaf. There is a bud at the base of every leaf. You can see them just above a scar where there used to be a leaf. Don’t leave extra stem between where you cut and the next lowest bud. You can cut any over-long branch to a leaf or bud so that it bushes out to thicken the hedge.