Thanks Dave. I am in Dallas (8A) zone. I am not sure which cultivar. Most of them are planted by previous owner. Is it possible to grow them to 8'-10'. Today I pruned them to the same width from top and sides. I removed lot from the top which is leggy. Is it fine to prune them on top or do you suggest me to let them keep growing top (leggy) and just prune sides. I am trying to keep them thick towards iron fence. I am fine even if they are leggy towards wooden fence side. Is it good idea to keep watering them or apply any basic fertilizer. I am trying to see if I can get them grow enough for not planning any other tall growing trees/shrubs to get privacy from homes other side of the road.

Thanks

Ligustrum japonicum species can grow easily to 14 feet. Takes a bit of time though. I would not trim off the tops if you want them taller.

However, if the cultivar is 'Texanum', it grows slower and lower to maybe 8 or 9 feet. Hard to tell which cultivar(s) you have.

Hopefully a Texan will help you ID the variety.

Sure, water and fertilize and that should help them grow faster. Certainly additional water in mid to late summer will help.

Good video on Texanum:

Ligustrum 'Texanum'

Hi Dave,

I have planted few of these last year. How much do I need to prune them in order to make them thick from the bottom. Is it fine to cut them (1 year old) to half of the length.

oh crikey ...

you peeps have to start thinking in tree or shrub time ...

what was OP thinking.. wanting it taller.. but cutting off the tops??? .. what a lack of patience ...

rith ... same with you .. they are barely established... trim the sides to the width and depth you may wish for the future ... and then sit back for 3 to 5 years.. and watch them grow UPwards ...

patience is the key in the garden ... instant gratification is usually not an option ...

ken

Hi Ken,

Thanks for the information. Reading some of the forums here, I got the impression that one needs to prune and cut back these in order to grow them thicker to provide privacy from the bottom. Except few ( which are next to wooden fence) most of these are planted next to iron fence. I am just wondering if it needs to be pruned even from the top to grow them thick in order to cover iron fence from the bottom.

Thanks

TIME IS ALL THEY NEED

we live in a world of instant gratification ...

mother nature doesnt ...

she takes her good old time ..

but the bottom line is.. the plants are going crazy.. underground.. which you cant see ... growing the root mass.. to grow that above ... we call it.. getting 'established' ... and with transplants that can take or year or 3 ...

and once the root mass is big enough .. they it will start exploding above ... and you wont be able to beat it back with a stick ...

hope its not another 4 months before you read this.. lol

ken

Hi Ken,

Thanks again for your information. We will just do little pruning to the sides to keep them in size and let is grow the tops. We were thinking about pruning to prevent them grow leggy without providing enough cover to iron fence.

Thanks

Hi 👋 I know it’s a 4 year old discussion link, but thought I’d give it a try, as this is the topic I have a question in. I’m in Los Angeles area & a year ago planted a row of 15 gal Ligustrum Lucidum (they should grow fast & tall & it’s a medicinal Chinese herb). My objective is to get privacy from neighbors (see pics), so need it to grow in height. Right now they grew in sporadic “spikes”. Also, worth mentioning, that this particular variety produces ENORMOUS amount of berries (see pics). I’m patient, just want to know when & how to trim to encourage them growing tall? Intuitively, I feel I should sheer on the sides right before it flowers so the shrub doesn’t “waste” its energy on the flowering & berries... Don’t see any info on that 🤷🏻‍♀️ TIA. Any input is appreciated 🙏🏼

One year is barely time for them to settle in and start producing much new growth at all. So yes, patience is a virtue in this case :-) Shearing back the sides will not make the plant grow taller......it will get there all on its own. And plenty of water often encourages more rapid growth. But don't overdo.

i never understood the logic of cutting parts off to make it grow more .... its counter intuitive to me ...

more leaves.. means more sunlight converted to energy .. to grow more roots to create more leaves on longer branches ...

pruning is for injury repair ... or aesthetics ... to make it look different or take on a new shape for goals related to that ....

which is basically what i said/meant 4 years ago.. when i replied above ... go figure ...

ken

Well, a plant's natural response to pruning in any other than the dormant season is to produce new growth. So while you may think it counter-intuitive, it is not!. But producing new growth is not the same as height extension. That is a factor of the age and maturity of the plant, its genetics and how long it has been established.

I’m still not clear, if I trim BEFORE the flowers/berries appear (so the plant’s energy isn’t going into the flowers & berries), does that have any effect on the growth rate?

For still very young plants, which these are, removing the fruit will help rate of growth. And since this is such a heavy fruit producer (and very messy fruit - this species is not recommended in CA for urban areas), removal of all that fruit is probably desirable as well.

FWIW, little effort is put into flower development so less need to remove these but the plant may be easier to deal with at only the flowering stage.