A copper beech hedge has to be trimmed twice a year if it is to remain nice and dense. Beech trees tolerate pruning well, even if they have to be pruned a little more carefully than, for example, hornbeam hedges. When to cut a red beech hedge and what to look out for.

Regular pruning promotes the dense growth of the red beech hedge

Why do you have to cut beech hedges?

You have to cut beech hedges for several reasons:

  • limiting growth
  • topiary
  • rejuvenation
  • remove diseased shoots

Red beeches sprout vigorously twice a year. They increase in height and width by between 40 and 50 centimeters a year. If you don't trim it, the hedge will start to overgrow and get out of shape. The lower regions no longer get enough light and become bare. The red beech hedge is then no longer really dense.

By cutting you ensure that the lower regions get light and that the shoots branch well.

When is the right time to cut a red beech hedge?

The first cut, which can be radical, should preferably be done on a frost-free, dry day in February. Beech trees sprout for the first time from March, so this early pruning does not do them any harm.

The second budding of the common beech begins in June and is complete around St. John's Day, 24 June. Then another pruning should be done, but this time only moderately.

Every few years the beech hedge can use a rejuvenation cut. Very old branches are removed and the hedge is thinned out on the inside to make room for new shoots.

Cut back beech hedges heavily

You can cut red beeches back down to the old wood. If new shoots are to form, leave the smallest possible remnants with at least three eyes. New branches can develop from this.

You should remove diseased shoots as soon as possible so that any pests or diseases cannot spread further.

Do not cut back radically from March to July

European beeches are popular nesting sites for blackbirds and other birds. Therefore, do not cut back the beech hedge so much during the breeding season from March to July.

Before pruning, check to see if there are still nesting birds in the hedge, and then delay pruning for a few days.

Cut beech hedges slightly conically

When you cut the beech hedge, you should mark the height and width with plumbing lines. Without a template, the hedge becomes crooked and crooked and looks unkempt.

So that the lower regions get light, cut a copper beech hedge so that it is wider at the bottom than at the top.

A conically trimmed beech hedge also does not suffer as much from snow damage in winter. The snow can slide off more easily and does not bend the branches.

tips

Don't let the red beech hedge get too high. The best height is where you can maintain the hedge without using a ladder or even scaffolding.

Category:

Garden design