If your elderberry is younger than two years old, leave it alone for now. The plant still needs time to grow before it starts getting pruned. [2] X Research source
Make sure that your shears are clean and sharp! This will help the plant to heal well after its pruning. [4] X Research source
If the plant isn’t covered by too much shade, you can cut the cane even shorter, all the way to the ground. Scientists have found that this method might produce fewer, but larger berries. [6] X Research source You may notice that the canes are soft or hollow in the middle. [7] X Research source
You should mass prune your elderberry annually. Doing so will make sure that the plant can spend the rest of the year growing young, vibrant canes.
The selective pruning method involves pruning canes based on how old they are. [10] X Research source As canes become older, they grow larger and begin to show noticeable signs of aging. If you can’t tell how many years old a cane is visually, you can begin marking them with a permanent marker, or by tying color-coded pieces of string around each cane. Although keeping track of the age of each cane may seem like a chore, researchers have discovered that using this information while pruning elderberry leads to the greatest number of berries. [11] X Research source
Two year old canes tend to be most productive, and annual mass pruning removes them before they reach this point. By having a mix of canes with different ages, you can allow your plant to flourish as much as possible![13] X Research source
