Stone pine: when and how to prune

Stone pine: when to prune it?

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Real pruning is not needed. In May–June you can shorten the young shoots, the ‘candles’, to keep the tree compact.

What else to prune in those months? May · June

Stone pine: how to prune it?

1. Pinch or snap the young candles back by half, before the new needles have fully expanded.
2. Remove dead or damaged branches back to the trunk or a healthy side branch.
3. For an umbrella crown, gradually remove the lowest branches, a few each year.
4. Do not cut into old wood without needles: a pine will not regrow from it.

How much to cut, and how often?

• One pruning period a year: May–June.
• Never remove more than about a quarter of the crown at once. Better a little every year.

What does it mean for wildlife?

• Pruning in May–June 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
• Weymouth pine

Plant profile: Stone pine · Pruning calendar and basic rules