How Do You Prune Bottle Brush Plants?
Bottle brush plants are evergreen trees with dark green leaves and red or pink flowers. The flowers are elongated at the end of branches and are comprised of short spiky petals. These flowers resemble a brush used to clean bottles with, hence the name bottle brush. Pruning of bottle brush trees is only necessary to control excessive growth or to remove diseased limbs. Unlike other trees, bottle brush does not need pruning to encourage growth. Use pruning shears to remove any limbs that are discolored or diseased. These include limbs with yellow or brown leaves as well as bark that has turned black rather than brown. Also remove leaves or bark that have black spots as this indicates the presence of mold. Cut off all small shoots that are growing out of the tree trunk. These small shoots are called suckers and will eventually grow into larger limbs if not pruned. Locate any branches that are touching another branch or are within 1 foot of another branch. Remove the limb by cutting it wit
