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how do i prune shrub to tree?

20 years ago

i just received two peegee grandifloras and they are little shrubs in a 1 gal pot. i am new to gardening and would love to grow these into trees. how do i proceed? how long do i wait to prune, if i can, and where and how? there's little branches everywhere! i havent planted them yet (they arrived a few hours ago from naturehills.com) and left them in the box (its open and they are standing upright).

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IanW Zone 5 Ont. Can.
20 years ago
Plant them out in an area in the garden in a sunny location, where they will have room to grow. Wait until spring/early summer when you see active growth beginning and pick one good stem that is the best candidate for growing straight (You may have to loosely stake it for a season or two), cut out all other growth that appears at ground level and concentrate on cultivating that one stem. pinching off the top leading growth during the summer will force it to branch to create several sturdy branches. As the tree matures, you only have to prune it to keep its shape etc.
Making a shrub into a tree may take 3-4 growing seasons, but the end results are worth the effort.

Ian
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