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15 Mar 13 Sue griffith (Australia - temperate climate)

My rosemary bush is 15 years old. I use it for cooking. It ihas very woody stems. It is quite large. Can I prune it and will it shoot from cut stem?

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01 May 14 Travis Edwards (Australia - temperate climate)

rosemary will handle very harsh treatment and still grow strong I prune mine off regularly with a chainsaw to 1/3rd of their size or less every couple of years and trim them up in between with the same method. I chopped one down to virtually nothing 3 years ago it is now about 4 ft around in every direction, and it was not much more than a stump. pruning them hard gets rid of the dead wood and makes them more bushy so you get more of the tender shoots that are good for cooking.

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