Aronia Planting Guide Part VI - Pruning, Pest, Landscaping, Harvesting, and Yields
Pruning After establishment, the oldest stems should be pruned to ground in late dormant season. Restrict bush height & increase bushiness by cutting back upright stems. After berries have dropped or been harvested prune to shape the plant. Pruning the Aronia plants while the plants are young will also encourage branching. The best time to prune is in the late winter or spring before growth starts. By pruning in the early spring just before growth starts. This means there is only a short time before new growth begins and for the wound sealing process to take place. It does not seriously harm plants in the long run to cut plants back so that they may produce a dense growth of new shoots This is called "pollarding". As the plants grow larger prune to thin the plant so all parts of the plant receive sunlight. Pest Japanese beetles and other insect pests generally will leave the aronia plants alone. Blueberry Croft farm and nursery has not had problems with Japanese beetles....
