The laurel cherry tolerates pruning very well and even rewards this care effort with stronger and denser growth. In order for the wood to sprout again willingly, it is necessary to carry out the pruning at certain times.

When should you cut back?

The ideal time depends on the look you want to give the shrub. If the cherry laurel should always look even and trimmed as neatly as possible, we recommend at least two prunings a year. If it is enough for you to keep the laurel cherry in check and you prefer a natural appearance of the bush, one strong cut per year is sufficient.

The double cut

If the cherry laurel grows very vigorously, it is cut in spring and summer. In this case, it has proven useful to grab the scissors before the first sprouting at the end of February or beginning of March.

method

  • Cut branches that have diseased bark down to the healthy wood, as these are the preferred entry points for fungi and diseases.
  • Cut out branches that grow inward so that enough light penetrates the interior of the shrub.
  • Also remove all branches that show signs of frost damage.

Then straighten the crooked edges and shorten the shoots. You can also cut back deep into the old wood. The cherry laurel drives through again after a short time.

The second cut of the year

A second pruning is then carried out in summer until the end of July. This allows the shoots to mature sufficiently before the cold season and there is no need to fear frost damage. Many garden owners also cut off the beginnings of the blossoms when pruning in the fall, so that the laurel cherry hardly blossoms from which the poisonous berries develop in the following autumn. If you don't want to do without flower decorations next spring, you should therefore make sure that you cut out as few blossoms as possible when pruning in the fall.

The time for the one-time pruning

The cherry laurel is one of the early bloomers and is best cut immediately after flowering. This spring pruning encourages the cherry laurel to sprout vigorously and densely. As a rule, this one-off cut is sufficient to keep the shrub's growth in check.

When are taper incisions made

Since the cherry laurel tolerates pruning very well, you can use a rejuvenation pruning to encourage old and bare trees to sprout again. For reasons of bird protection, this cut should be made before March 1st if possible. The hardy laurel cherry can even be reset down to the stick at this point.

tips

In principle, you can prune cherry laurel throughout the year. If the temperatures are below zero, however, you should definitely refrain from cutting. At temperatures below five degrees, freshly cut branches are threatened with massive frost damage, which greatly weakens the shrub.

Category:

Trees