Atlas cedar: when and how to prune

Cedrus atlantica

Atlas cedar is best pruned in August–September.

Updated on 12 October 2026

Atlas cedar: when to prune it?

Dead, diseased and broken branches can be removed at any time of year. Any formative pruning in late summer.

What else to prune in those months? August · September

A cedar looks best unpruned.
Keep a single leader on a young tree: if it has two, remove one in late summer.
Cutting side branches back to just outside the trunk spoils the tree for good: if a branch has to go, saw it off completely at the trunk.

One pruning period a year: August–September.
Grows best when left alone. Only remove dead, diseased or awkward branches.
Most conifers do not regrow from old, bare wood. So never cut back into the brown part (exception: yew).

Pruning in August can fall in the nesting season (15 March–15 August). Check carefully for nesting birds first: disturbing an active nest is against the law.
Prunings can go on a dead hedge or brash pile in a corner of the garden: shelter for hedgehogs, wrens and insects.

Clipping without first checking for nesting birds.
Cutting back into bare brown wood: it will not regrow from there.
Pruning too much: it grows best when left alone.
Leaving a stub or sawing flush with the trunk: cut just outside the branch collar.

Caution: Don’t cut into bare wood: a cedar will not regrow from there.

This guide is compiled from the Bladwijzer plant profile and pruning calendar.