Best Time Cut Back Yews, and General Yew Info.

[SilentMouse]

So I picked up a nursery Yew and am wondering if I would be advisable to do some hard pruning this fall?

My intuition is saying the awnser is 'no wait till spring' so I am expecting that type of response...but though it was worth getting some practical advise on beyond goggling.

The material is, pretty good all things considered. I dug down in the pot as far as I could and as far as I could feel there wasn't any inverse taper below the soil before the roots. It's defiantly healthy with a very thick trunk and has some interestingly moving branches I liked. The one and only problem is there are A LOT of branches and I want to get ahead of any swelling that they will cause. Whether that be now, or having patience till spring.

That said, I am new and ANY info on Yews would be appreciated .

 

[sorce]

I believe it was @Eckhoffw who just reshowed a great one.
@just.wing.it been through a few, and @leatherback I think keeps one or 2.

They seem to need a large amount of sustained foliage to remain workable, so I would keep everything possible for as long as possible without compromising design.

Sorce

 

[0soyoung]

What is the criteria for 'best'?

 

[Eckhoffw]

I believe it was @Eckhoffw who just reshowed a great one.

Well, mighty kind words, but yeah, I wouldn’t do any major thinning or cut backs now. I’d wait till spring. Even then, I’ve lost 2 descent sized ones after major spring work.

 

[Forsoothe!]

As long as you haven't touched the roots, pruning for preliminary shape/design can be done anytime to begin with new stock. In the future, prune for shape after new growth has ended in late spring/early summer/June. Minor adjustments/tweaking can be done in late summer/autumn/September. Repot/reduce roots in spring or early summer when there is enough growing season left for the tree to recover and grow next year's buds. One major insult per year: either roots or top, do the other in the next year.

 

[SilentMouse]

@sorce Okay! Yea. I've seen a good handful of awesome ones and when I saw that this one didn't have a weird inverse taper below the soil and has some interesting branches I scooped it up.

Hmm. I've heard that. Yews, from what I've heard, back bud nicely as long as you leave a decent amount of green on the tips. So noted!

@0soyoung I think I'd define 'best' as the time that the tree will struggle the least recovering from . My plan is to get rid of a few branches, and be fairly drastic whenever I do touch this tree so whatever time the tree can take that relatively well. As mentioned above I don't plan to prune it within an inch of it's life but. I will be doing something to get a structure revealed.

@Eckhoffw That was my very gut instinct. Unless confronted with massive evidence to the contrary...I'm probably gonna leave it till Spring.

@Forsoothe! Defiantly haven't touched the roots. And honestly, I like that easy explanation. Might do some harsher pruning next spring, and then repot it the next year.

 

[leatherback]

@leatherback I think keeps one or 2.

yeah, true. or.. 7 at the last count

Healthy yews backbud where needles are removed and light hits it.

I personally prefer to grow new branches rather than wiring existing older ones in place, as moving them and getting them to set in place takes a very long time.

In august I normally do the majoy work on my yews. I trim back long branches to the length I need and then pluck all needles except for the last 20 our so at each ending. This causes backbudding all along the branch, which you can then use to build the rest of the pad / volume or cut back to next year. I would say, you could consider still to do the major pruing but I would guess it is getting late and you might not get backbudding.
After heavy rootwork they tend to take an off-year growing, adding only an inch or two in a eason. During that time they rebuild the rootball.

Did you see this: https://www.growingbonsai.net/developing-taxus-bonsai/ ?

 

[SilentMouse]

yeah, true. or.. 7 at the last count

Healthy yews backbud where needles are removed and light hits it.

I personally prefer to grow new branches rather than wiring existing older ones in place, as moving them and getting them to set in place takes a very long time.

In august I normally do the majoy work on my yews. I trim back long branches to the length I need and then pluck all needles except for the last 20 our so at each ending. This causes backbudding all along the branch, which you can then use to build the rest of the pad / volume or cut back to next year. I would say, you could consider still to do the major pruing but I would guess it is getting late and you might not get backbudding.
After heavy rootwork they tend to take an off-year growing, adding only an inch or two in a eason. During that time they rebuild the rootball.

Did you see this: https://www.growingbonsai.net/developing-taxus-bonsai/ ?

This is awesome information, thank you SO much!

I defiantly am gonna be getting rid of a LOT of branches instead of trying to wire them. The material has a lot of branches, far too many and a lot of them coming out in similar spots. But what drew me are some of branches interesting (to me, anyways) movement, so those are probably gonna be kept of corse. I assume it's easier to wire younger branches?

Right now, I am about a month or so out from freezing temps so I'm most likely gonna wait for spring. Hit the nail on the head about probably not having the time for it to recovery before it has to go dormant.

Just checked the link out, and no I did not until then . Defiantly reading though!

 

[leatherback]

Defiantly

defiantly

Young -this years- branches set by spring if wired mid-sumer. Older branches can take years.