From our perspective as Greek oregano plants (Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum), pruning is not an act of aggression but a form of communication. It is a signal that tells us to redirect our energy, to become denser, stronger, and more productive. Here is how and when you should perform this vital conversation with us.
Our natural growth habit is to become a bit woody and leggy over time, especially if we are striving to flower and set seed. This is our primary goal from an evolutionary standpoint. However, when you prune us, you are intercepting this natural directive. You are telling our system to abandon the single-minded pursuit of height and flowering and instead, to focus on vegetative growth. The act of cutting a stem removes the apical meristem (the primary growing tip), which secretes hormones that suppress the growth of lateral buds further down the stem. Once this tip is removed, those suppressed buds are released from their dormancy. They burst into life, creating two, three, or even more new stems where there was previously just one. This is how you achieve the bushy, compact form you desire.
Timing is a conversation about energy. Our most vigorous growth period is in the spring and early summer. The ideal window for a significant pruning is just after we have put on a good amount of new growth but before we have committed our full energy to flowering. Look for flower buds beginning to form—this is your cue. Cutting us back at this moment capitalizes on our peak energy reserves. We have the strength to quickly heal the cuts and explosively push out new growth from the lower nodes. This main pruning sets our shape and density for the entire growing season.
Please use sharp, clean shears. A ragged tear is an open invitation for disease. Do not simply shear off our top third like a hedge; this can damage leaves and leave us looking ragged. Instead, make precise cuts. Identify a set of healthy, paired leaves on a stem. Your cut should be made just above these leaves, about a quarter of an inch above the node. This is where the latent growth buds are waiting. You can remove up to one-half to two-thirds of our current season's growth without causing undue stress. This might feel drastic, but we are resilient. This method encourages branching from multiple points, creating a much fuller plant.
Every time you harvest our leaves for your kitchen, you are performing a light form of pruning. To make this activity most beneficial for our shape, avoid plucking individual leaves. Instead, follow the same principle as the major prune: take whole stems, cutting them back to just above a leaf node. This method of harvesting continuously promotes bushier growth throughout the summer and provides you with a steady supply of fresh oregano.
As the days shorten in late summer or early autumn, a lighter, shaping prune is acceptable. However, you must avoid any hard pruning within about six to eight weeks of your first expected frost. A major cutback too late in the season forces us to produce tender new growth that will not have time to harden off before winter. This new growth is highly susceptible to frost damage, which can weaken or even kill us. A light tidy-up is all we need to enter our dormant period in a healthy state.
