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How to Prune a Japanese Willow Tree
How to Prune a Japanese Willow Tree. The Japanese willow, also known as Nishiki willow, is related to the willow family. It is deciduous, like other willows, and is hardy between United States Department of Agriculture zones 5 and 8. These zones cover most of the U.S., from coastal Maine to northern Florida and west across the U.S. to Washington,...
The Japanese willow, also known as Nishiki willow, is related to the willow family. It is deciduous, like other willows, and is hardy between United States Department of Agriculture zones 5 and 8. These zones cover most of the U.S., from coastal Maine to northern Florida and west across the U.S. to Washington, Oregon and California, although excluding most of the northern Midwest, like Montana and Minnesota, which is zone 4 and lower. The Japanese willow is more of a shrub than a tree and only grows to between 4 and 6 feet in height with a 4- to 6-foot width. It needs full sun to light shade and can handle soil types from loam to sandy or clay. The Japanese willow requires little pruning.
Things You'll Need
Tree pruners
Remove any dead, diseased or damaged branches from the Japanese willow as they occur. Cut them off at the base of the shrub.
Remove 1/3 of the branches on the Japanese willow in the late winter or early spring. Remove the interior branches that are not flowering or producing foliage. Cut the branches down to the ground when you prune.
Trim off, or deadhead, the blooms as they fade to promote new flower growth.
Tips & Warnings
Japanese willows can also be sheared back to about 1 foot tall in the spring if they grow too large or become unmanageable.
