Pruning Foster Holly

The following is from Ken Tilt's newsletter SOMETHING TO GROW ON:

Foster holly is traditionally pruned at least once a year to contain its rapid growth and to maintain desired shape. Four pruning methods were examined in this study:

• cutting branches back 6 inches or at least five nodes
• cutting back branches 10 inches or at least 10 nodes
• painting on Promalin (a combination of benzyladenine and gibberellin) mixed with latex paint twice during the growing season
• standard pruning two times during the production season

It was observed that pruning at the tips of young plants does not result in fuller plants, while pruning deeper into the heavier wood produces several breaks on the stems resulting in fuller and tighter growth.

Results indicated that the standard treatment of pruning twice a year to desired shape produced the best quality plants. Promalin didn't produce bud breaks or initiate new branching. (from "Pruning Foster's Holly" by Dr. James T. Midcap, University of Georgia, 2000 Research Reports published by the Center for Applied Nursery Research).

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