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Home gardeners can choose between two different pruning methods. One way to renew a large, overgrown lilac is to cut the entire plant back to within 6 to 8 inches of the ground in late winter (March or early April).

If a bloom fades earlier in the season than the flowers on other branches, cut the spent bloom before the others.

This severe pruning will induce a large. Jun 26, I shot a video of my husband and I butchering trimming this Old Lilac almost down to the ground. We thought we’d need the chain saw, but he couldn’t get it started, so we used some ratching loppers and garden pruners. (#affiliate link) Those old branches were about 3″ diameter so it worked ok. I had some problems when I tried treecutter.barted Reading Time: 4 mins. Apr 28, Use clippers to trim the plant close to the ground.

If the trunks are very thick, you may need a saw. Cut each branch back by 1/3 to 1/2. The lilac will grow back, but it'll take a season or two.

If you discovered that your plant was grafted, be sure not to cut below the graft%(4). Jun 03, Another way to start getting rid of lilac bushes is to use chemicals. Your first step in removing old lilac bushes this way is to cut the bushes to ground level with a chainsaw. Burn or dispose of all of the foliage. The second step in getting rid of lilac bushes with chemicals is to apply herbicide containing Glyphosate.

When you put this chemical on open cuts on the lilac stumps, it will. Ungrafted lilacs can be cut down to the ground. Grafted plants should be cut down to within a few inches of above the graft site, which can be identified by a thickening of the stem near the. To remove a lilac, cut it down close to the ground, and paint the stump with a broad spectrum herbicide shortly after the cut is made.

You can also dig up the entire root ball if chemical solutions. Jul 01, By cutting down the main stems and leaving the young shoots. You'll still have a poor showing of flowers. So you mean't has well start again. If you ever get another Lilac. Once a tree is cut down, the trunk is chipped into mulch and hauled away, or cut into smaller logs or blocks for other purposes, but the roots remain in the ground. Without leaves, the cut tree cannot produce food for the growth of its roots.