How to Trim Pittosporum Shrubs

Step back and examine the shrub so you trim it as close to its natural shape as possible, which is usually mounded. Locate wayward, dried, crossing, rubbing, damaged and low growing branches or stems on the shrub. Walk around the shrub to locate the limbs you want to remove.

Clip back stems and twigs that extend beyond the main body of the shrub using sharp, sterilized pruning shears. Left to grow on their own, some branches grow out at irregular places, giving the shrub an unkempt appearance. Snip these off according to the natural outline of the shrub, cutting them back to 1/4-inch above a healthy bud.

Cut back the heaviest wood in the center of the shrub as close to the ground as possible using lopping shears. This practice allows sunlight and air to penetrate the growth at the center. Remove branches at the base of the shrub that no longer produce foliage. Also, remove suckers from the ground near the shrub.

Cut back broken, wounded or split limbs down to where they join an undamaged branch or limb. Remove rubbing and crossing branches from the interior to reduce chances of disease. Also, cut back low-growing branches to maintain the shape of the dense foliage.

Run electric or hand-held shears over the sides and top of the shrub to create smooth edges. If you locate a dip of empty space on a side of the shrub, cut the limb 1/4-inch above an outward-facing bud to stimulate outward growth, so it fills the empty space. To encourage the shrub to fill out thin spaces, make a sharp cut 1/4-inch above an inward-facing bud.

Step back and review the pittosporum shrub. Walk around it and cut back branches you may have left. Collect the clippings from around the shrub in a tarp and discard.