Clipping Pittosporum Tenuifolium

Shape

• Because pittosporums respond so well to pruning, you have a variety of options when it comes to training the shape of your tarata pittosporum. If you prefer it to have a formal, structured appearance, then you can shear the plant quite heavily if you start when it is young. Doing so can give the plant a topiarylike effect. On the other hand, a more relaxed approach to pruning yields a free-form, bushy plant with a natural shape and evergreen leaves that will highlight a shrub border all year.

Disease Control

• One of the best reasons to prune is to remove dead, cold-damaged and/or diseased wood. When doing so, prune each affected branch to at least 4 inches below the symptoms. If your plant can spare the wood, prune each affected branch to 6 inches below the symptoms to make absolutely sure you get every portion with a problem. After the dead, damaged and diseased wood has been removed, thinning the plant’s inner branches allows a greater flow of air within the shrub's center. The improved airflow will help the shrub dry more quickly than it would otherwise after a watering or rain, discouraging the growth of fungus and other pathogens.

Timing

• If you don’t care about tarata pittosporum's flowers, then the best time to prune the shrub is in late winter or early spring, right before the plant produces new growth. Pruning at either of those times helps to encourage a flush of growth, and the new leaves and shoots quickly mask unsightly pruning cuts. In spring, however, tanata pittosporum has vibrant-purple blooms that form on the previous season’s growth. If you want a floral show from the plant, then wait until after its flowers fade, and then prune it immediately to avoid risking next year’s flowers. Prune a diseased tarata pittosporum any time of year, however.

Precautions

• Because disease transfers easily during pruning, pruning shears should be cleaned before and after pruning by swabbing them with isopropyl alcohol, also known as rubbing alcohol. When pruning a diseased plant, clean your shears after each cut to prevent the spread of infection from one part of the plant to another part. When you are done with the shears, store them in a safe place where children cannot reach them.