In the tub, laurel inspires as an evergreen feast for the eyes on the balcony and terrace or in the conservatory. Its lush green, decorative leaves give dishes a delicate power and fullness. A good-natured cut tolerance rounds off the colorful round of veritable properties. The following tutorial is dedicated to the skillful pruning of Laurus nobilis. This is how you blend laurel in an exemplary manner.

Bay laurel training begins early

Table of Contents

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  1. Types of cuts and dates
  2. Top-up pruning shrub
  3. Training cut high stem
  4. Shape and maintenance cut
  5. taper cut
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. Types of cuts and dates

    Bay laurel's floral charisma is not due to its dainty, yellowish blossoms. It is the dark green, elliptical leaves on upright shoots that spread the Mediterranean magic in the garden or house. the subtropical origin prohibits planting the evergreen tree in most regions. The majority of home gardeners decide to keep them in buckets. Their mobility allows the green ambassadors from the Mediterranean to be admitted in good time before winter. Before and after the weather-related location changes, a laurel bush benefits from a cut. But even between clearing and clearing, the wood has no objection to the use of scissors. In summary, the following table presents important types of cuts and dates:

    cut type goal/occasion Appointment Option I Appointment option II Appointment Option III
    Top-up pruning shrub shapely growth, dense foliage February March June July before clearing
    Training cut high stem Pruning of trunk and crown February March June July before clearing
    Shape and maintenance cut Growth control, thinning out dead wood, maintaining shape before clearing June July before clearing
    taper cut revitalize senile laurels late winter none none

    Build up a laurel bush in an elegant way

    With stiffly upright, densely leafed branches, laurel is an ornamental shrub. A gradual build-up cut makes a valuable contribution to well-formed growth. Don't just let a young laurel grow tall. By pruning at least once a year, you create a sap that encourages branching. How to do it right:

    • Build up the laurel bush with 5 to 7 strong bottom shoots as a framework
    • Cut off all remaining shoots at the base
    • In February/March and June/July cut back the previous growth to an opposite pair of leaves

    Extend a skeleton drive by about 10 centimeters per year. Also, limit their number. In this way you build a laurel bush with compact growth. This is the ideal prerequisite for artistic shape cuts as columns, cones, spirals or imaginative sculptures.

    Raise laurel to a standard

    The good pruning tolerance makes laurel the ideal candidate for training as a representative standard. Training begins on the day of planting and continues for several years. How to master pattern training in an exemplary manner:

    • On the day of planting, choose the strongest ground shoot and tie it to the support post
    • Remove remaining ground shoots as competitors
    • Regularly defoliate the middle shoot as a future trunk and attach it to the post

    As the images below illustrate, guide with the Cutting the top of the trunk the branching to the crown one. Wait to cut the top bud until four to six pairs of leaves are enthroned above the planned base of the crown. Please remove shoots that compete with the trunk as soon as possible, as well as all side shoots below the crown.

    Do not prune the top of the center trunk until the desired trunk height is reached. The top bud should be at least 4 to 6 leaves above the base of the crown when pruning is done. A subsequent extension in height rarely succeeds.

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    The top bud has to give way for the crown to form

    Cutting the top bud on the laurel standard is a double-edged sword. If you cut too early, the trunk will remain tiny. If you wait too long, it feels like an eternity until the longed-for crown branching. Discussions about the interrelationships are eliminated by the growth law of top funding. Accordingly, the wood carries the majority of its Reserve substances for the top bud, to stimulate growth towards the light. Only when the position at the top of the trunk is no longer occupied does the sap pressure spread to deeper buds, which then sprout and form the crown. At the same time, upward growth has ended.

    Shape and preserve laurel

    If a laurel has successfully completed the development into a shrub or the upbringing into a standard, pruning is aimed at preservation. The robust cut tolerance allows you to reach for the scissors regularly from spring to autumn. This is how shape and vitality are preserved:

    • Thin out dead shoots in spring
    • Also cut out unfavorable branches that protrude into the crown or bush
    • Overly long branches lead to a lower, outward-pointing side shoot

    The best time for the main cut is in February or March, in good time before budding begins. Please cut each branch of the laurel individually. Ideally, position the scissors 3 to 5 millimeters above a pair of leaves.

    With 5 to 7 scaffolding shoots, a laurel bush sets itself in scene. Cut back overly long shoots that protrude from the mold. Dead and inward branches are removed.

    digression

    Cut the laurel with one-hand pruning shears

    For trimming on laurel, use a high quality secateurs, ideally with a bypass mechanism. Dedicate yourself drive for drive the cut, the bush and crown shine in new splendor. An electric shrub shears (€68.00), on the other hand, leaves a picture of devastation. The large leaves get caught in the cutter bars and tear. The resulting brown edges will spoil your laurel for a long time.

    Rejuvenate old laurels

    If you don't trim your laurel for a number of years, you will struggle with a bare, misshapen network of old and young shoots. With a radical rejuvenating cut, you can help the senescent wood to make a brilliant comeback. The secret of success lies in sleeping eyes, from which Laurus nobilis sprouts again. The following procedure has proven itself in cutting practice:

    • The best time is in late winter
    • First remove all deadwood from the bush or crown
    • Cut back the remaining shoots by half to two thirds

    A strategic incision optimizes the success of the measure. Examine each old shoot or crown branch individually. If the shoot has a young, vital side branch in the lower area, blend old and young wood at the fork.

    frequently asked Questions

    Can laurel overwinter outside?

    Bay laurel is not hardy north of the Alps. If the thermometer falls below -5 degrees Celsius, fatal frost damage is to be feared, up to and including total failure. We recommend cultivation in a bucket for most regions in Germany. Exceptions apply to sheltered locations in wine-growing regions with mild winters or in valleys on the Lower Rhine. Without extensive protective measures, a laurel can not overwinter as a shrub or standard in any location. A warm fleece jacket and an insulating wooden base are indispensable even on the Ahr and Moselle.

    Are the leaves of a laurel tree edible?

    In fact, laurel is a spice plant valued worldwide. The aromatic leaves give hot and cold dishes a special flavor. Bay leaves are very popular as an ingredient for stews, gravy, vegetables and meat dishes. According to the classic recipe, pickled cucumbers are pickled with a few bay leaves. By the way, you can also use the small black berries for culinary purposes. If you add a few laurel berries to game dishes, you can create a delicious treat for the palate.

    Can I use clippings from laurel bushes for propagation?

    One of the many advantages of laurel is the rapid rooting of cuttings. What you cannot use from the cuttings as a spice stock for the kitchen is suitable for uncomplicated propagation. The best time is in late summer. Well suited are 15 centimeter long, not completely woody, half-ripe shoot tips, which you defoliate in the lower half and put in potting soil.

    My laurel tree spent the winter outside in the Ahr Valley (hardiness zone 7) and is now partly brown in March. Did the tree freeze? Can pruning save the plant?

    A laurel tree must not be exposed to frosty temperatures below -5 degrees Celsius for a long period of time. This premise also applies to wine-growing regions with mild winters. As long as the branches inside are still green to cream-colored, you can still save the little tree. Prune any frozen shoots back into healthy wood and apply an organic fertilizer for green plants.

    The 3 most common cutting mistakes

    Bay leaves with tattered leaves and brown edges are victims of a typical pruning error. The same thing happened to a high-stem that remains at a measly height and simply does not want to grow any more. In order to protect the readers of this tutorial from classic images of damage, the following overview lists the three most common mistakes when pruning laurel:

    cutting error damage picture prevention
    cut with electric shrub shears tattered leaves with brown edges always cut with one-hand pruning shears
    Tip of the high stem cut off prematurely very small standard without height growth Cut the top bud first 4 to 6 buds above the base of the crown
    never cut misshapen growth, balding from the inside out Cut and trim at least once a year

    tips

    At first glance, laurel and cherry laurel look confusingly similar. A closer look reveals striking differences that have far-reaching consequences for cultivation. Laurel (Laurus nobilis) primarily thrives as a spice plant that is sensitive to cold. Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), on the other hand, is hardy and has become one of the most popular hedge plants in Central Europe. In terms of a magnificent, evergreen foliage and a robust cut tolerance, both trees pull together.

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Trees