Pruning a Vitex Agnus Castus Chaste Tree

Chaste tree is the common name for Vitex agnus-castus, a deciduous species of shrub cultivated for its dainty flower clusters and large palmate leaves. It grows to 10 to 20 feet in height with a spreading crown of foliage held up by multiple slender trunks. While it is not a spreading species, Vitex agnus-castus will overwhelm smaller garden beds if left to grow unchecked, so it is best to perform routine pruning every few years to control its size and improve the strength of its branches.

Hose
Surveyor's tape
Pruning shears

Instructions

- 1
  Water the chaste tree shrub thoroughly before pruning. Run a hose at the base of the shrub for 10 to 15 minutes to saturate the top few inches of soil.
- 2
  Locate where the newer, greenish growth blends in to the hardened brown wood on each branch. Tie a small length of surveyor's tape around the point where the two types of wood meet to mark the spot where you will cut.
- 3
  Prune each branch a half-inch above where the surveyor's tape is tied. Cut the branches above a pair of leaf nodes on the green wood. Make each cut straight across using pruning shears.
- 4
  Look for any damaged, crossed or tangled branches. Cut off the damaged branches at their point of origin with the pruning shears. Remove half of any damaged or tangled branches.
- 5
  Discard the pruned branches into a green-waste bin or compost heap, or chip them to use as mulch around the base of the chaste tree.

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