Are cotoneasters fussy about branch work timing?

[Esolin]

I ask because I bought a C. Dammeri "Streib's Findling", and did some minor Fall pruning, shortening two or three branches and removing some suckers. I did not like this AT ALL. Every branch I shortened shriveled and died back to the trunk as if the plant no longer liked that branch. Do they only like to be worked in the Spring? Or did I just get a fussy plant?

 

[Shibui]

I have not experienced any branch dieback with C. dammeri. I trim them whenever they need it and I have time. I do harder pruning whenever the inspiration strikes. Just wondering if there was some other factor that has caused your branches to die?

 

[sorce]

Before Paul with no Avatar comes...ESP...

Get you'se a photo heh? Need one? Lol.

Speaking of Photo! Pics!

How late in fall? How late is that where you are?

Seems like a shrub that would ditch a branch if trimmed too late. This could make it "smarter" than other trees, which could be good if you use it to your advantage.

Sorce

 

[penumbra]

C. Dammeri "Streib's Findling" is not at all a tough plant cultivar. It is awesome but it is sensitive IMO. Otherwise, I have not had problems with cotoneaster. You do need to be wary of Fire Blight as it is highly susceptible. Sterilize your tools and don't prune cotoneaster when its blooming to help mitigate the effects of bees spreading the blight. I only prune in early spring through summer in my climate but your climate is quite different.

 

[Esolin]

Speaking of Photo! Pics!

Fine...fine...

It looks pretty sickly right now since it dropped half its leaves and bronzed the others for winter. I pruned it in October I think? But it very rarely freezes here. We had three nights in mid January with some brief frost, and that's it. Winter is generally still a growing season around here.

C. Dammeri "Streib's Findling" is not at all a tough plant cultivar. It is awesome but it is sensitive IMO. Otherwise, I have not had problems with cotoneaster. You do need to be wary of Fire Blight as it is highly susceptible. Sterilize your tools and don't prune cotoneaster when its blooming to help mitigate the effects of bees spreading the blight. I only prune in early spring through summer in my climate but your climate is quite different.

Excellent info, thanks. I did wonder if it was the cultivar, since I couldn't find much info on it. It had such amazingly tiny leaves and a nice arching trunk so I couldn't pass it up, but dwarf species do tend to be troublesome. We'll see. If I don't kill it in the next two years, it might make a nice shohin.

Fire Blight isn't a huge threat in my area (knock on wood), but I hadn't thought about the bee angle. I'll definitely keep that in mind, and I do sterilize.

 

[Esolin]

It really is amazing the differences between cultivars sometimes. I recently picked up a C. Dammeri 'Lowfast' and it's happy as a clam. Dropped its leaves and is pushing all new Spring growth. The Lowfast:


But the Streibs Findling held its old berries and leaves thru winter (which turned purple), and is now pushing growth, but much less vigorously:


So, since the Streibs clearly hated Fall pruning, I feel I need to prune it now instead while it's actually pushing growth, especially since it's pushing 90% of the growth where I don't really want it. And honestly I can't afford to baby this thing too much. If hacking on it kills it, well, let's get it over with.

So, the plan:


Hmmm, but as I think about it now, I should probably reduce these branches in increments the way some azaleas are. Maybe that, and not a particular season, is the real key to preventing severe dieback. It'll be an experiment, I guess.