Which gardener does not know it, the lady's mantle. He is known for his undemanding and easy-care disposition. In order to enjoy it for a long time, it should be pruned from time to time. But why and how does that work?

Cut to harvest

If you want to experience the healing powers of lady's mantle, you should harvest the plant in good time. With the beginning of the flowering period, the period begins to harvest it. The leaves and stems as well as the flowers are cut off.

The harvested herb can be dried after harvesting to make it last longer. Be careful not to expose the lady's mantle to excessive heat or direct sunlight when drying. This would cause the parts of the plant to turn brown and lose their active ingredients.

Later they can do all sorts of things with the dried herb. It is suitable, for example, for preparing tea, poultices, ointments and mouthwashes. Among other things, it works:

  • promoting milk flow during breastfeeding
  • relaxing on the uterus
  • anti-inflammatory
  • calming
  • analgesic
  • blood purifying
  • circulation-enhancing

Cut back before winter sets in and after

Another pruning is done each year before the onset of winter. Here, the lady's mantle is subjected to a strong pruning. In autumn, cut the long and withered flower stalks down to the ground.

If necessary, you can also remove old leaves. But beware: Leave some foliage on the plant. It acts as a natural antifreeze in winter. It protects the clumps of the plant from wintry moisture, snow and ice.

After winter has rolled over and the warmer days of spring are knocking, you can move on to the clean-up pruning. Start doing this as soon as the lady's mantle is about to sprout vigorously again. Cut off any parts of the plant that are distracting and unsightly.

Prune to extend flowering period

Another reason to trim lady's mantle is to prolong its flowering period. The herb usually blooms for several weeks in June. If the old inflorescences are cut off after the flowers have withered, new flower buds will form a short time later and flowering will last until September. The flower stalks are simply cut off close to the ground.

This post-flowering pruning has the additional effect of preventing the plant from self-seeding. In addition, it does not lose too much vigour, forming its seed heads, and the leaves keep their healthy appearance.

Pruning is also worthwhile during the flowering period. You can cut off the freshly blossomed inflorescences and create a bouquet with them, for example. These cut flowers have a long shelf life in the vase compared to other cut flowers.

tips and tricks

Use either sharp scissors or pruning shears to cut. Clean the tool beforehand so that there is no risk of diseases being transferred to the lady's mantle from previous cuts.

KKF

Category:

Herbs