Updated at: 30-05-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

You have two considerations to master how to prune St John’s wort. The process itself is relatively simple, similar to how one would maintain other plants like lobelia. Remember that some plants require pruning as part of their maintenance practice to keep them healthy.

There are two things you need to keep in mind when pruning St John’s wort. It’s a rather straightforward operation, much like caring for other plants, such as lobelia. Maintaining the health of some plants necessitates pruning, so keep this in mind.

St. John’s Wort Pruning

When pruning St John’s wort, you must keep two things in mind. In terms of the method itself, it’s really similar to how you’d care for lobelia or other plants. Maintaining the health of some plants necessitates trimming as a part of their regular care.

Goldencup St. John's wort (Hypericum patulum) Care Guide - Picturethis

When to Cut Back St. John’s Wort

St. John’s wort flowers on new growth. This means that all the blossoms you see in summer bud and bloom on the new wood the plant grows in spring. You must take this timing into account as you decide when to cut back St. John’s wort. You don’t want to reduce summer flowers by cutting off the new growth that will produce them. In fact, early spring is the time to do St. John’s wort pruning. Cutting back St. John’s wort shrub just before the new growth begins is ideal.

Comprehensive Guide On How To Prune St John’s Wort

Timing

Early spring

The blossoms of St. John’s wort appear on fresh shoots. Summer blooms begin as buds on new wood that grows in the spring, which is why you see so many colorful blooms. St. John’s wort should be taken into consideration when deciding when to reduce the amount of the herbal supplement. Avoid reducing summer blooms by removing the young growth that will create them. In fact, the best time to prune St. John’s wort is in the early spring. St. John’s wort shrubs should be pruned before new growth begins.

Mid-summer

Is there a better time to prune St. John’s wort than the early spring? It’s best to prune in the spring so that the plant has a chance to recover. If you want to keep your plants looking their best, you can trim back half of the new stems in the middle of the summer.

That’s just one of the many reasons why it’s important to plant St. John’s Wort at this time of year. Thin some bushes if you have a lot of them so that each one has its own place.

When the stems are no longer productive, you can remove the ones that have a strange shape and a disproportionately high height.

Three-year period

Finally, remember to schedule a three-year trimming time. As a general guideline, begin by trimming one-third of your crop during your first year; next one-half of your previous year’s growth; and finally the remaining branches. In addition to regular pruning, you may use this technique to keep your shrubs in good form and at a healthy height.

St. Johns Wort | Plant Profile – Sylvan Gardens Landscape Contractors

Method

Additionally, Hypericums (commonly known as St. John’s Wort) are a varied group of plants. When pruning your plants, you should think about groundcovers, shrubs, or spreaders. Pruning this plant is no different from pruning any other plant that necessitates it.

Tool preparation

To make a clean cut, for example, you’ll want to utilize sharp, disinfected equipment. This preserves the shrub’s appearance while avoiding the possibility of infection. Pruning gives an opportunity for diseases to attack your plants, so be sure to disinfect your shears with bleach and water and sharpen them beforehand.

For rejuvenation

Selecting all damaged and dead branches is part of the pruning process. Pruning the crossing branches is another way to maintain your shrubs neat and prevent them from overgrowing the area.. As a bonus, you’ll thin the plant out, and cutting back on the tips of the branches will encourage it to regenerate for the following season.

For flowering

St. John’s wort shrubs are commonly pruned to one-third of their original height to encourage new branch growth and flowering at the cut tips. Cutting at an angle of about 6 inches above ground level is what you should aim for. A quarter-inch above the bud, in the direction where new growth is desired, is a better alternative.

The middle or end of March is a good time of year to do this, especially if you have plants that have trouble blossoming.

How To Grow St. John’s Wort

Having learned how to properly care for these bushes, you should also learn how to do so. It’s a straightforward process that starts with picking a spot that gets plenty of sun and has soil that drains nicely. An too damp atmosphere is perhaps the most crucial hazard to avoid.

To care for St. John’s wort, all you need to do is keep the soil moist and apply compost once a year. Drought and poor soil are no match for this plant once it’s established. When the plant’s blossoms have faded, you must remove them to prevent the seeds from forming.

You can either start the seeds indoors or immediately sow them in the ground when it comes to propagation. You don’t have to cover the seeds with dirt, unlike other plants, which require a layer of soil. When it comes to rooting St. John’s wort, you can pick stem cuttings about 4 inches long from a healthy parent plant.

Growing St. John's Wort in Containers (Easy Tips and Guide) – Bountiful Gardener

Conclusion

Sprucing up your shrubs is a simple way to renew them and encourage them to bloom again. St. John’s wort can be pruned carefully to provide a neat garden and beautiful blossoms throughout the year. To keep this shrub healthy, all you need to do is follow the appropriate timing and approach.

Pruning St. John’s wort is best done in the spring or early summer. Damaged stems can be removed, or you can take advantage of this time to prune the tips to promote new blooms. Pruning is as simple as reducing the branch tips and pruning at a height of one-third of the plant’s overall height.