Skilful pruning is considered the supreme discipline in the home garden. Shrubs and trees in particular benefit if the gardener understands the correct pruning. Since every plant is subject to continuous change over the years, there are appropriate pruning measures for the various development phases. This overview informs you about all the important types of pruning in private wood maintenance.

The type of cut depends on various criteria

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  1. Plant pruning sets the course for vital growth
  2. A build-up cut directs growth into the optimal shape
  3. Thinning cut - guarantee for a long, vital plant life
  4. Makeover cut turns back the wheel of time

    5. Plant pruning sets the course for vital growth

    After planting shrubs or trees, pruning is aimed at rapid growth of new roots and shoots. The amount of pruning depends on whether the tree is deciduous or evergreen. The most important differences in the cut are presented in more detail below:

    Bare root shrubs

    Shrubs and trees that shed their leaves before winter are offered and planted as inexpensive bare-root goods between November and March. During clearing in the tree nursery, some of the roots were lost or damaged so that the existing young shoots can no longer be fully cared for. A pruning restores the balance between underground and aboveground growth. Cut off damaged, dead and dry roots. Then shorten all shoots by a third.

    container plants

    Young plants in the container can be planted all year round as long as the ground is not frozen. Since these shrubs and trees have a complete root ball, the pruning is more moderate than with bare-root trees. Only weak and damaged branches are cut out. No pruning is required on flowering shrubs if they are planted shortly before or during the flowering period. Damaged shoots can only be cut off when the flowers have withered.

    A build-up cut directs growth into the optimal shape

    In the first few years, the secateurs act as a baton for the ideal growth of ornamental and fruit trees. Therefore, the build-up cut is often referred to as an educational cut. This type of pruning is more important in fruit growing than in the cultivation of ornamental shrubs. We have compiled the most common occasions for you below:

    • Fruit trees: in the first 10-15 years to develop a stable crown shape
    • Berry bushes: Upbringing as a bush or spindle, on a trellis or trellis, as a standard or foot-stem
    • Evergreen deciduous shrubs and conifers: Build up to form a dense hedge with a privacy factor

    Most flowering shrubs form a harmonious silhouette on their own. You can only limit the number of scaffolding shoots by means of a pruning in the bucket or in the small garden. Flowering shrubs that are particularly pruning-tolerant are recommended for training as standard stems, such as the wonderful panicle hydrangea.

    Thinning cut - guarantee for a long, vital plant life

    Without pruning, bushes and trees will sooner or later only be a shadow of themselves. A lack of pruning results in premature senescence, the loss of flowers and in disappointing fruit yields. A clearing cut is therefore part of the successful care plan for every tree.

    On flowering shrubs, it is enough if you regularly cut off dead, puny and inward-pointing shoots at the base. Proceed in a similar way with the crowns of deciduous trees, which serve to decorate the garden. On fruit trees and berry bushes, pruning also aims to remove worn fruit shoots and promote young fruit wood. The special variant of the thinning cut is referred to as a fruit wood cut.

    If a bush or tree takes on expansive dimensions, the cutting technique of the derivation supplements the thinning cut. By cutting back overly long shoots to a younger branch, the shrub will be slimmed down rather than mutilated. Above all, slow-growing and pruning-sensitive plants are the beneficiaries of the expert derivative pruning.

    Special case: topiary to green sculptures

    Evergreen deciduous shrubs are predestined for artistic topiary. With a lot of patience and imagination, boxwood and colleagues transform into spheres, pyramids, cones or more complex shapes. Templates help the beginner to achieve the perfect shape cut. Experts cut freehand.

    Makeover cut turns back the wheel of time

    Neglected shrubs and trees are revitalized with a radical rejuvenating pruning. In principle, it is an extended thinning cut in which all dead wood is consistently removed. Depending on the type and variety, cut the remaining shoots on the bushes back to 10 to 30 centimetres. Crowns of deciduous trees and pome fruit trees are rejuvenated by severely shortening the main branches in order to initiate regeneration.

    Among the types of pruning, the rejuvenation pruning is a hot topic because plants react very differently to it. Before you subject your shrub or tree to this far-reaching pruning measure, please inform yourself in detail about the appropriate procedure.

    tips

    When it comes to cutting dates, the Federal Nature Conservation Act has a say. Paragraph 39 (BNatSchG) precisely stipulates that radical pruning measures on trees and shrubs of all kinds are limited to the period from October 1st to March 1st. To protect wild animals, only slight grooming cuts may be made during the grace period from the beginning of March to the end of September.

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