Native Plants
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
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Sunday - October 09, 2011
From: San Antonio, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pruning, Shrubs
Title: Pruning tips for Texas Mountain Laurel.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
Towards the end of May, I planted some Mountain Laurel seeds in pots. They are about six inches high now and starting to branch out. Do I need to trim off the leaves on the main stem below the branches? I would like for them to grow into trees.ANSWER:
Congratulations on successfully germinating Mountai Laurel seeds Sophora secundiflora (Texas mountain laurel). Not everyone is able to do that. I would suggest that you not remove the leaves, and just give the plants a chance to grow. You’ll have plenty of time latter on to worry about pruning, since Mountain Laurel is a slow grower.
This link to plantanswers.com provides some good general information about growing the plants.
These two previously answered questions have some good tips about pruning your plants when the time comes.
How can I prune my Texas Mountain Laurels to be more tree-like?
How much can I prune a 10 year old mountain laurel to re-shape it and when?
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