- Which spruces are suitable for a hedge?
- How to care for a hedge with spruce?
- How often should I cut my spruce hedge?
The spruce is a coniferous tree that should be pruned little or not at all if possible, but is still suitable to a limited extent for planting a hedge. The advantage is that it is evergreen and therefore opaque all year round.
Not every spruce is suitable as a hedge plant
Which spruces are suitable for a hedge?
Two species are particularly suitable for planting a hedge, the Norway spruce (bot. Picea abies) and the Serbian spruce (bot. Picea omorika). As a pot or container plant they can be planted from spring (March) to autumn (September), as bare root seedlings they are best planted in early spring.
The planting distance within the hedge varies depending on the type of spruce. It should be about 70 centimeters for red or Norway spruce, and 60 centimeters for Serbian spruce. A spruce hedge should not be planned too narrow, so it needs some space. Assume about 80 centimeters for the red spruce. A hedge with Serbian spruce may be slightly narrower.
How to care for a hedge with spruce?
Freshly planted, your spruce hedge only needs enough water for it to take root. If at all, it only needs fertilizer from the second year. The first pruning should be done when the hedge has reached half of its planned height.
How often should I cut my spruce hedge?
Since a spruce needs a longer time to fill the gap that has been left after a generous pruning, regular pruning makes sense. You should prune at least once a year, preferably in June. If necessary, a second cut is possible in August. It is best to use hedge trimmers for this, (77.00 €) you cannot do much with small pruning shears, because they stick together quite quickly.
The essentials in brief:
- conditionally suitable
- year-round opaque hedge
- aesthetically not perfect
- suitable species: Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Serbian spruce (Picea omorika)
- Be sure to trim regularly, at least once a year
- use sharp and robust hedge trimmers
tips
Be sure to trim your spruce hedge regularly to avoid any radical cuts that leave unsightly gaps.