Golden Wattle

[forestboy1978]

Can't find much info on this other than, unusually, reductions or heavy trimming is meant to be done during flower. 

 

Got a top heavy Wattle in customers garden. Has some nice suitably place pruning point to take it down about 1/3 but not sure when to do it...

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

[nepia]

When is flowering?  I'd guess June/July, in which case I'd prune as soon as the flowers fade; resultant growth will have time to harden off (as much as such a plant can in this country) before winter.

 

My garden brain says don't prune early or you'll lose the flowers and don't prune late or winter will kill the tender regrowth.

 

I have assumed you refer to Acacia pycnantha, known as Golden Wattle.

Edited May 25, 2019 by nepia

[forestboy1978]

You are correct Acacia Pycnantha, 

 

I'm reading info encouraging trimming or reducing DURING flower which is baffling me. 

[nepia]

But is that regime applied to this climate or the plant's native one which is very different?

Also you need to think about why the client's growing the thing in the first place.  If it's for the flowers, a likely and utterly reasonable reason, then cutting it while actually in flower seems counterproductive.  Following the suggested regime only 80% according to best practice won't kill it.

 

What's your source?  My big fat RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants doesn't even list pycnantha.

[forestboy1978]

Not sure. I'll go through my search history tomorrow and find out. 

[se7enthdevil]

if the flowering is anything like one of the acacias near me then you will have to wait about 10 months as it was blooming in late winter early spring. i think that one is an acacia dealbata though. from memory it was in full yellow coloured flower in march.

[forestboy1978]

24 minutes ago, se7enthdevil said:

if the flowering is anything like one of the acacias near me then you will have to wait about 10 months as it was blooming in late winter early spring. i think that one is an acacia dealbata though. from memory it was in full yellow coloured flower in march.

Yeah it's just come out of flower but I think Nepia is right. The guidelines I was looking at yesterday must be based on Australian climate. 

 

Still researching...