Excessive heat and sun right after planting can stress a new red barberry.
When shrubs grow too big to manage, tie up branches and prune all clumps down to 1 inch tall. Barberry will regrow 1 to 2 feet in the first year.
They are hard, woody, and deciduous shrubs.
Tying keeps the branches compact and easier to handle. Disinfect lopper blades with a 10 percent solution of rubbing alcohol and water or hand sanitizer between clumps. Advertisement. Sep 21, Make a degree cut close to the main trunk of the shrub. Do this removal first so you can judge the evenness of the plant when using the hedge clippers.
Decide which type of pruning the barberry requires. Rejuvenation pruning involves removing 1/3 of the plant close to the center stem. Use hand-held or electric hedge clippers to shape the plant. Sep 26, Barberry are light feeders however will benefit from fertilization.
I feed my Barberry plants in late winter or early spring with a slow-release shrub & tree type fertilizer or a natural, organic plant food. Before applying fertilizer, always carefully read and follow instructions on the product label. Formative pruning plan in the spring for a single-planted bush. If it is necessary to trim a hedge or curb, the procedure will be performed in 2 stages.
The first pruning is done in early June, and the second pruning is done until mid-August. Attention! Pruning prickly shrub barberry is carried out in the second year after planting, not earlier.
Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9.
Barberry can be cut back hard and will recover although it will be slow. You cannot simply shear the plant to “size” as it will open up to just a stemmy appearance.
You will need to either cut. Red barberry shrubs grow 2 to 8 feet tall with 4- to 6-foot spread. This deciduous shrub has showy leaves that intensify in the fall. It works as a border, ground cover or as an ornamental shrub.