When and How to Prune and Fertilize a Cassia

Q. My cassia is full of beautiful yellow blooms. First year this two year old plant has done this. When do I trim it back and how far?  Type of fertilizer will it need?  

The base of cassia has several strong stems coming from the base. Choose one or two of these strong stems and remove
then at the base. Let it regrow from the base to rejuvinate it and let the leaves fill in from top to bottom from the
strong young basal growth.

A. Shrubs or other plants should be pruned soon after they flower. In spring flowering plants the flowers are produced during the late summer and fall months. Some finish maturing in the spring before they flower.

But regardless, if these spring flowering shrubs are winter pruned with a hedge shears it will remove the spring flowers. If shrubs are pruned properly and not pruned with a hedge shears they then can be winter pruned. Hedge shears should be reserved for nonflowering hedges.

Reach down inside the canopy, or from the outside, cut with a sharp and cleaned pruning shears about one inch above the
surface of the soil and make your cut. Pick stems that are the largest or too close together.

Pruning should be done with a few well-placed cuts deep inside the canopy to remove sections of the plant which are crowded, too tall or too wide. Cuts are made where two stems join together, removing the offensive stem.

This results in a general thinning of the shrub removing larger diameter wood. By removing larger diameter wood, this “renews” the shrub and helps keep it young. I hope this helps.