- 1). Check for damaged or bruised branches. These need to be pruned back to the main stem to avoid spreading bacteria or fungus to the main plant.
- 2). Thin out old, woody branches by cutting them off at the base with small pruners. Cut off approximately a third of the old growth clethra stems to encourage new growth.
- 3). Trim overall foliage back with hedge clippers to keep the clethra in a nice shape. You may need to trim the edges again over the course of summer to keep the plant from looking leggy.
- 4). Disinfect your pruning tools after pruning diseased wood by spraying them with a solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water. Remove all diseased clethra cuttings to a garbage bin to avoid attracting pests to nearby plants.
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