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Elderberry, a large shrub/small tree native to eastern North America, produces edible, small-clustered berries. These berries are extremely tart but are sublime when cooked down with sugar in pies, syrups, jams, jellies, juices, and even wine. If you have an elderberry bush in the home garden, elderberry pruning is a necessity. The question is, how to prune elderberries correctly?
Elderberry bushes are a beloved garden plant that produce clusters of edible berries prized for making jam, wine, and more. To keep your elderberry bushes healthy and productive, pruning is essential. But when is the optimal time for pruning elderberry bushes? This comprehensive guide will overview when and how to prune elderberry bushes for the best results.
Why Prune Elderberry Bushes?
Pruning is crucial for both the health and fruit production of elderberry bushes. Here are some of the key reasons to regularly prune your elderberry bushes:
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Promotes Growth: Pruning eliminates old, unproductive canes and allows new, vigorous canes to grow. This keeps the plant youthful and productive.
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Improves Air Circulation Removing overcrowded, overlapping branches opens up the plant’s center to sunlight and air flow This reduces fungal disease
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Increases Fruit Yield Pruning encourages the plant to put energy into producing flowers and berries rather than wood growth,
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Easy Harvesting: With a well-pruned, open growth habit, harvesting the berry clusters is much simpler.
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Enhances Appearance: Pruning gives the plant a neat, attractive shape.
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Removes Damage: Pruning eliminates any dead, diseased, or broken branches.
When to Prune Elderberry Bushes
Elderberry bushes should be pruned when they are dormant, typically late winter. Pruning in winter causes the least stress to the plant. Here are the optimal months:
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Zones 3-6: Prune in February or early March.
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Zones 7-9: Prune in January or February.
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Zones 10+: Prune in December or January.
Ideally, prune the plants before any new growth emerges in spring. Avoid pruning elderberry bushes in fall. Pruning stimulates new growth that will be too tender to withstand freezing winter temperatures.
How to Prune Elderberry Bushes
Follow these steps for proper pruning of elderberry bushes:
1. Sterilize Pruning Tools
Before pruning, sterilize your pruning shears with a disinfectant like rubbing alcohol. This prevents spreading disease between plants.
2. Remove Dead Branches
Examine the bush and cut away any dead, damaged, or diseased branches back to the base. Removing these first opens up the interior.
3. Cut Back Old Canes
Elderberry canes are most productive in their first 3 years. After that, productivity declines. Cut any canes older than 3 years old back to the ground.
4. Thin Dense Growth
If the bush is very overgrown, thin out older canes to open up the center. Leave 4-6 of the most vigorous 1-3 year old canes.
5. Shorten Long Canes
Trim back any remaining long, leggy canes by 1/3 to 1/2 their length. This encourages branching.
6. Shape the Bush
Prune the bush into a rounded, vase-like shape with an open center. Remove any branches crossing or rubbing together.
7. Clean Up Debris
Dispose of all pruned branches to prevent disease. Sterilize tools again when finished.
Pruning Tips
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For the first 2-3 years, let young bushes grow freely with little pruning. Just remove dead or damaged branches.
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Avoid heavy pruning that removes more than 1/3 of the plant. This can stunt fruit production.
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Make cuts just above an outward facing bud or branch. Angle cuts down and away.
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Sharp, sterilized bypass pruners make the cleanest cuts. Avoid wounding the plant.
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After establishing the basic framework, prune every year in late winter.
Propagating From Pruning
You can propagate new elderberry bushes from pruning cuttings:
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Take 10-12 inch cuttings from 1-year old wood in late winter. Remove the tip and all but a few buds.
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Dip the cut end in rooting hormone (optional). Plant in pots with potting mix.
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Keep humid and warm (65-70F) until roots form in 2-3 months. Then transplant outside.
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For quicker rooting, take 4-6 inch root cuttings and plant horizontally just below the mix surface.
Why Prune Elderberry Bush?
Pruning of elderberries is important not only for the health aspect and overall appearance, but its necessary for ensuring the continual bearing of fruits. For the first two to three years of growth, let the elderberries grow wild with the exception of pruning out dead or damaged canes. Thereafter, prune elderberry bush regularly to make way for younger, vigorous canes. As the canes age, they lose their fruitfulness.
How to Prune Elderberries
Pruning an elderberry shrub is a fairly simple task and should take place in winter when the plant is dormant. Before you begin trimming elderberry plants, as when pruning any fruit-bearing plants, sanitize the pruning shears to avoid passing on potential diseases.
When trimming elderberry plants, remove any dead, broken, or noticeably low-yield canes from the shrub at the trunk with the shears. Canes that are over three years old go next. Elderberry canes are at peak production in their first three years; thereafter, productivity declines, so it is best to cut them out at this juncture of the elderberry pruning. Leaving these aging canes only drains the plants energy as well as leaving it more prone to winter damage. P
runing an elderberry bush encourages the existing canes to be more productive. An elderberry plant really only needs between six to eight canes to survive, but unless necessary due to breakage or the like, there is no need to be so severe. Leave an equal number (anywhere from two to five) of one-, two-, and three-year-old canes. When pruning the elderberry, snip the long canes on a diagonal cut.
HOW TO PRUNE AMERICAN ELDERBERRY BUSHES
FAQ
What is the proper way to prune an elderberry bush?
Prune these spring flowering shrubs soon after they have bloomed. Top prune the plant to improve the shape and reduce its size, but be careful not to remove more than 30% of the top growth. Some summer pruning can also be done on particularly vigorous plants, but not after mid-July.
What is the difference between an elderberry tree and an elderberry bush?
American elderberry ( Sambucus canadensis) is more shrub-like and can grow up to 8 to 10 feet high, while European black elder ( Sambucus nigra) has the makings of a small tree and will reach 20 feet. It is well adapted to a wide range of habitats.
Do elderberries fruit on new wood?
Elderberries fruit on new wood, so prune in late winter while the plants are still dormant. Remove any dead or broken branches first. Suckers coming from the base can also be pruned. If desired, trim older branches first, leaving year-old stems.
What is the lifespan of an elderberry tree?
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Garden Designhttps://www.gardendesign.comPlanting, Growing, and Caring for Elderberry Plants – Garden DesignTHE BASICS. Botanical name: Sambucus. Plant Type: Deciduous shrub, although many people refer to them as elderberry trees. Hardiness: Zones 4-9, depending on th…
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Garden Oraclehttps://gardenoracle.comGrowing Blue Elderberry: Sambucus cerulea – Garden OracleDescription * Form: A multi-stemmed, suckering, large shrub or small tree. * Lifespan: Possibly 60 years. * Leaf retention: Drought and cold deciduous. * Growt…
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Reddit · r/NativePlantGardeninghttps://www.reddit.comInherited elderberry help : r/NativePlantGardening – RedditAug 30, 2023 — Elderberries are known to have a pretty short lifespan, like 10-20 years. Maybe this one’s nearing its end. I’m told you can prolong their life by c…
When should I prune my elderberry plants?
Prune your elderberry plants in late winter or early spring before new growth appears. Remove dead, damaged, or diseased wood, as well as any branches that are crossing or rubbing against each other. Thin out older branches to encourage new, productive growth. Elderberries are relatively pest and disease-resistant.
Does hard pruning a elderberry bush increase fruit production?
Yes! Hard pruning an elderberry bush will give you more fruit production the following year. Hard pruning is where, instead of pruning off the branches from a main stalk, you actually prune back the main stalk to about a foot off the ground. This doesn’t work for all fruit trees, and in some cases will actually be detrimental to the tree.
Do elderberry shrubs lose fruit?
As the canes age, they lose their fruitfulness. Pruning an elderberry shrub is a fairly simple task and should take place in winter when the plant is dormant. Before you begin trimming elderberry plants, as when pruning any fruit-bearing plants, sanitize the pruning shears to avoid passing on potential diseases.