Field maple is the jewel among hedge shrubs. In addition to its magnificent foliage, rapid growth and furious autumn colors, home gardeners appreciate the good-natured pruning tolerance. These instructions will show you how easy it is to trim your field maple hedge into shape.
The best time for pruning is in winter or autumn
When is the best time?
A beer holder already proves his uncomplicated disposition when it comes to scheduling the pruning. You can use scissors several times a year to give your hedge a neat appearance:
- The best time is in late winter and early spring between the end of January and the beginning/mid of March
- An alternative date is in autumn just before or after the leaves fall
- After St. John's Day, a slight topiary is possible by a maximum of one third
If you intend a rejuvenation cut, the legislator has a say. Planting a field maple hedge is only permitted between October 1st and February 28th. It is important to note that it is not freezing on the date itself or that the field maple hedge is under direct sunlight.
Cutting guide - How to cut correctly
In contrast to other maple species, the Acer campestre tolerates pruning with floral serenity. The growth rocket among the deciduous trees even repairs one or the other beginner's mistake in no time at all on its own. It doesn't have to come to that, of course, because the cut is very simple:
- Sharpen and disinfect the cutting tool beforehand
- In the first step, cut off all dead wood at the base
- Pruning inward, stunted and frostbitten branches
- In the second step, shorten all shoots to the desired length
- Ideally, make each cut a short distance from a leaf or bud
The optimal cut strives for a pyramidal shape. When the field maple hedge tapers from base to tip, sunlight can reach all the branches. This means that fresh shoots and leaves also sprout near the ground, so that the hedge does not become bare. A good guide is strings that you stretch between wooden stakes that you drive in at the two ends of the hedge.
tips
The best time to plant a field maple hedge is in autumn. The young shrubs take root quickly in the sun-warmed soil, so that they survive the first winter unscathed. The window for planting opens at the beginning of October and remains open until the first frost.