Anyone who has a hornbeam hedge in the garden knows that it drives out strongly. It therefore needs to be pruned regularly. But when is the right time for the young or the older hedges and how is the right cut done. Because uniform growth can only be achieved by precise pruning, so that the hornbeam hedge also becomes an eye-catcher. A guide for proper trimming and pruning is given here in the following post.
Cutting young hedges
If the hornbeam hedge was newly created, then it should serve as a privacy screen and should therefore ideally be leafy down to the ground. In order for the hedge to get its special hedge shape after the individual hornbeam plants have been planted, it needs the right cut at the beginning so that it grows as the hobby gardener wants it to.
Especially with the young plants, these must be trained by a continuous cut in the first two to three years. Therefore, immediately after planting, you should definitely not do without pruning and therefore proceed as follows.
- Promotion of branching
- for this, strong cuts are important at the beginning
- Cut right after planting
- cut the unbranched tips in half here
- Shorten the upward and outward-growing shoots several times a year
- young hedges can be trimmed up to six times a year
- this is for tightness
- even if the desired external dimensions of the hedge have not yet been reached
Even if the newly planted hornbeam hedge is far from the desired height, it must be trimmed regularly. Because if you let the new shoots grow upwards unhindered in order to quickly reach a certain height, you will find that these hedges will soon lack the desired tightness.
This creates many holes, so that there is no longer any privacy protection. The hornbeam is a fast-growing plant and even the cut shoots grow back quickly. If the specifications for repeated pruning of a young hornbeam hedge are adhered to, this will be a complete and dense privacy screen from the ground up to the height in three years at the latest.
Annual pruning
The older hornbeam hedge also needs pruning every now and then, because Carpinus betulus drives out strongly. In order to ensure even and beautiful growth here as well, the older hedges should be trimmed twice a year. The first cut takes place in spring, in the months of February to March.
The second pruning, on the other hand, is carried out in summer, in August or September, so the plant still has time to close its pruning wounds before the first frost. When pruning the hornbeam hedge, the following instructions should be followed.
- for the topiary cut the branches up to the second or third eye from the base of the shoot
- do not blend up to the first eye
- so no more new shoots can form
- Only remove shoots that grow inward
- likewise shoots that cross
- the main shoot is shortened to 15 cm above the side shoots
The first cut of the year can be a little heavier, the second cut in summer serves to remove the shoots that have grown out of the hedge over the year. In autumn, the hedges are therefore only cut into shape, in spring they can also be thinned out from the inside.
taper cut
Very old hedges in particular need pruning every few years. This pruning is usually done in late August or early September when birds are no longer nesting in the hedges and could be disturbed.
The rejuvenation cut should be done as follows:
- remove any old branches inside
- here start the cut directly under a branch
- this serves to stimulate new shoots
Don't be alarmed if the hornbeam hedge looks "plucked" after the rejuvenation cut. But the hobby gardener cannot cut himself with Carpinus betulus. New shoots grow quickly and the hedges quickly become green and dense again.
topiary
The hornbeam is also ideal for a topiary. For example, the hedge can not be smooth at the top but have a round shape. The cut can therefore take any form that you like. With a ready-made template, for example a piece of cardboard cut into a semicircle for the round shape or even a wire mesh from the garden store, the hornbeam can take on almost any desired shape. However, the hobby gardener needs a little practice for this.
radical cut
When should a hornbeam be radically shortened, when should this cut be carried out? Normally, a hornbeam hedge can be cut back radically at any time, because it tolerates pruning well and will sprout again after a short time.
However, it must be noted that between 01.03. and the 30.09. Every year, according to the Federal Nature Conservation Act §39 Para. 3, no radical cuts are permitted in order not to disturb or chase away breeding birds that may have nested in the hedge. During this time, only minor shaping and grooming cuts may be made.
However, there are reasons that lead to a radical cut in Carpinus betulus:
- when the hornbeam compacts after planting
- if the hedges have become too wide or too high
- to rejuvenate an old hedge
- to remove diseased shoots
- in a shape cut
All this work should therefore be carried out in February or after October. However, so that the plants do not suffer frost damage at the interfaces and can still recover from the radical pruning before winter, this should always be carried out in late winter before March. In this way, the law can be observed and the hornbeams have the opportunity to cope well with the cut and to close and level out the cuts over the warm summer months.
tool
The right tool is important so that the plants are not damaged during a cut. Above all, the devices used must be clean and sharp. Ideally, the blades are disinfected before starting work. This can be done with pure alcohol from the pharmacy, but well-stocked garden shops also offer disinfectants for this purpose.
If the cutters are unclean, bacteria and diseases can be transmitted, which can penetrate the fresh cut and damage the plant. If blunt knives or scissors are used, then this is not only harmful to the hornbeam, where the branches are not cut cleanly in this way, but torn off uncleanly. There can also be an increased risk of accidents for the hobby gardener if unsharp tools are used.
The following devices are ideal for trimming hornbeam hedges:
- Rose Scissors
- suitable for thin, young shoots at eye level
- manual hedge trimmer
- Long handles and a telescopic extension make it easier to work overhead
- you don't even have to bend down to the floor
- pruning shears
- is used for stronger, older and already woody branches
- motorized hedge trimmer
- ideally use with battery
- well suited for topiary from the outside
- petrol powered hedge trimmer
- for gardens without electricity