- When is the best time for pruning?
- Pruning books properly
- Don't prune the crown too much
- Cover large wounds with artificial bark
In principle, you do not have to cut individual beeches at all. They grow best in their natural form. However, pruning may become necessary if the tree has grown too large or is affected by disease. What you need to consider when pruning a beech tree.
Beech trees are very tolerant of pruning, which is why they are also suitable as hedge plants
When is the best time for pruning?
If you want to cut back a beech, you should choose a frost-free day in February. From March the beech will sprout again. It would bleed out if you cut it back later, so it would lose a lot of plant sap.
A lighter pruning is still possible at the end of July. However, only small branches should be removed.
If the beech suffers from diseases, it is advisable to cut out affected parts of the tree immediately.
Pruning books properly
In most cases, the goal of pruning is to make the crown smaller or to give it a more pleasing shape.
When pruning the beech, carefully shorten the side branches in such a way that a side branch always remains at the end. Then the tree sprouts well and the interfaces are no longer visible after a short time.
You should shorten a fully grown beech by a maximum of 2.50 metres. If the tree is still too big, spread the pruning over several years.
Don't prune the crown too much
When pruning the beech crown, care must be taken that the pruning is not too severe. The trunk must not be exposed to too much sunlight, but should also be shaded after leaves have been cut. Otherwise there is a risk that the beech trunk will suffer sunburn.
Also, do not thin out the crown too much because the thin beech branches with their leaves contribute to the supply of nutrients to the tree.
Cover large wounds with artificial bark
Beeches are very hardy deciduous trees. However, if whole branches are cut when pruning, pests and fungi can penetrate.
Therefore, always cover large interfaces with artificial tree bark.
tips
Before you prune a beech tree in summer, see if there are birds nesting in the crown. If necessary, you should postpone the cutting to a later date.