Do you have to clip off dead parts of a branch?

PepperZ · Mar 5, 2017

http://imgur.com/a/L7mWJ

It's a bit out of focus, but you can see the tips of both plants are kind of dark brown and might be dead. I don't know if I'm supposed to cut them clean off or leave them? These are overwinters ftr.

I haven't bothered because I didn't want to shock them more after the initial cutback and the end of summer and they have done seemingly fine(have grown overall and plenty of foliage from other parts of the plant).

Basically, just for future reference, is there something I'm supposed to do when I see the tips of where I cut them turn dark brown? The rest of the branch won't die off will it(I imagine no given how long ago it got cut).

Will it just form side shoots or something in the summer?

floricole · Mar 5, 2017

You should cut the dead wood, this prevents mushrooms, diseases and insects from settling. The ideal which is not always possible is to cut just at the top of a bud that is oriented towards the outside of the plant

solid7 · Mar 5, 2017

You could clip it, or just let it be. Either way, same result...

PepperZ · Mar 5, 2017

floricole said:
You should cut the dead wood, this prevents mushrooms, diseases and insects from settling. The ideal which is not always possible is to cut just at the top of a bud that is oriented towards the outside of the plant

What do you mean at the top of a bud? @@; got an graphic?

Do you know why some tips end up dying like that in the first place?

Thanks.

Powelly · Mar 6, 2017

just cut the brown off

floricole · Mar 6, 2017

PepperZ said:
What do you mean at the top of a bud? @@; got an graphic?

Do you know why some tips end up dying like that in the first place?

Thanks.

If you cut like "a" there is no bud that will appear on the rest of the stem, so no sap call and it will dry

The_NorthEast_ChileMan · Mar 6, 2017

Powelly said:
just cut the brown off

^^^Persactly!^^^

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floricole · Mar 6, 2017

Why do half good when you can do it right

PepperZ · Mar 7, 2017

floricole said:
If you cut like "a" there is no bud that will appear on the rest of the stem, so no sap call and it will dry

That is a great graphic and probably accounts for why the tips dried out. Why is D wrong btw? I get that the difference is the direction of the cut but what is undesirable about that? Thanks a ton btw.

floricole · Mar 7, 2017

PepperZ said:
That is a great graphic and probably accounts for why the tips dried out. Why is D wrong btw? I get that the difference is the direction of the cut but what is undesirable about that? Thanks a ton btw.

Simply to prevent water from flowing at the base of the bud.