Mountain pine: when and how to prune

Mountain pine: when to prune it?

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At the end of May, when the new candles are fully extended but the needles have not yet opened out.

What else to prune in those months? May

Mountain pine: how to prune it?

1. Snap the candles back by half or by a third. Using your fingers avoids cut needle tips that turn brown.
2. Do this every year: the pine stays compact and becomes denser.
3. Dead or damaged branches can be removed at any time of year, back to a healthy side branch or to the trunk.
4. To shorten a branch, cut just above a side branch that still has needles.

How much to cut, and how often?

• One pruning period a year: May.
• Prune in moderation: never remove more than about a third of the shrub at once.

What does it mean for wildlife?

• Pruning in May 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.

Common mistakes

• Clipping without first checking for nesting birds.
• Leaving a stub or sawing flush with the trunk: cut just outside the branch collar.

Nearby: related pruning guides

• Black pine
• Japanese black pine
• Japanese red pine
• Japanese white pine
• Scots pine
• Stone pine

Plant profile: Mountain pine · Pruning calendar and basic rules