With a richly branched, spherical crown, the spherical acacia lives up to its name. To keep it that way, an annual pruning makes the decisive contribution. Read this guide to learn when and how to trim the picturesque house tree perfectly.

Ball acacias must be trained to their beautiful shape

Best time is in February

Without its magnificent foliage, a spherical acacia gives a clear view of its crown branches. Pruning measures shortly before new sprouting begins, when severe frosts are no longer to be feared, achieve an optimal effect. With this choice of date, you also conform to the Federal Nature Conservation Act, which determines the start of the grace period from March 1st to protect our endangered flock of birds.

Thin out the spherical crown every 3 years

Its spherical crown forms a spherical acacia because the grower's hand overrides the growth law of top promotion. Instead of concentrating growth on dominant buds, all crown shoots thrive evenly and form a ball. Interventions with scissors and saws are limited to occasional thinning out for a light, airy and therefore densely leafed crown. How to do it right:

  • Take protective measures against the toxins in the bark
  • Saw off dead shoots on the branch
  • Shorten broken, weak and disturbing branches by up to two thirds
  • Scissor blades attach just above an outward-pointing leaf knot

On older spherical acacias, the thinning cut sometimes leaves larger cuts of more than 2 centimeters in diameter. Smooth the exposed wood surface with a knife. Then spread the edges of the wound thinly with tree wax (€12.96) to protect the valuable cambium from late night frosts.

Cut the spherical crown into shape - this is how it works

Wind breakage and lack of space require a shape cut that goes beyond thinning. Thanks to a high cut tolerance, the spherical acacia cooperates with every cut, as long as the grafting point remains untouched. To trim back the ball crown:

  • Put on gloves to protect against the poisonous bark
  • Shorten overly long crown branches by up to two thirds
  • Set cutting tool a short distance from a leaf knot or sleeping eye

Can't you see a leaf node as a starting point for the cut? Then cut the branch in question back to the desired length. Over the course of the coming season, a sap buildup causes previously invisible sleeping eyes to cast out. If a long stub forms over the shoots, saw off the old wood down to half a centimeter, because there is a risk of rot and disease.

tips

The shapely crown of a spherical acacia sits enthroned on the trunk of a robust wild species. With the budding of cheeky stem shoots, the vigor of the wild rootstock is noticeable. Cut off a wild shoot at the base as soon as you discover it below the thickened grafting point. If the unloved shoots sprout directly from the root disc, tear off the young wood with a strong jerk.

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Trees