How To Prune A Chaste Tree

A chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) can be grown as a large, multi-stemmed shrub or as a single-trunk tree. It grows 15 to 20 feet tall and wide. It is a deciduous tree that blooms in May and June with lavender, purple, pink or white flowers. A chaste tree blooms on the current season's growth. Prune the tree while it is dormant, usually in December to early March, to encourage new growth and more blooms.

Step 1

Remove any damaged, diseased or dead limbs and branches. Use hand pruners for limbs up to ½ inch in diameter and lopping shears for larger branches. Make pruning cuts at a 30-degree angle at a bud or where the affected limb meets a larger limb or branch.

Step 2

Use hand pruners or lopping shears to remove any crooked, bent or crossed limbs.

Step 3

Thin the older branches of a shrub-style chaste tree by cutting them at ground level with hand pruners or lopping shears. This will encourage healthy new limbs to grow in the spring.

Step 4

Remove any limbs that are too low on a non-shrub chaste tree. Prune them as close as possible to the main trunk without cutting into the main trunk.

Step 5

Shorten individual limbs and branches with hand pruners or lopping shears to shape the plant and maintain its size.