The leaves then start to bud up round February / March time and the leaves open from April onwards depending on the weather. To thicken this hedge up, I’d just pull some branches from different plants down and zip tie them together. The downside is that they only role through during the night and don't stay. If your hedge is infected by diseases, you need therefore to find a suitable disinfectant. Safety is the number one thing to consider when trimming your hedge. How you trim your hedge makes all the difference when making your hedge … If the branches have diameters in the range (0.75-1.5 inches), you need to get loppers. The trimming equipment is well known to transmit diseases, so it is advisable to disinfect it after cutting diseased branches. When it comes to deciding on the best time to trim your hedge, you should consider the late winter or early spring. For example, you can trim branches that wither or get infected by pests or diseases at any time. three Clipping Beech Hedging. Regardless of how much you have decided to trim, you need to ensure that you remove sagging stems, acute-angled secondary stems, and closely-growing or running secondary stems. When it comes to choosing the right trimming tool, there is one tool that you shouldn't fail to have for your hedges, and the tool is no other than the Fiskars Bypass Pruner. You can also just wash the equipment with the disinfectant. It’s 8 years old now and is a thick barrier, physically and visually. Hedges can be just privacy screens. Flush cuts or cuts that leave stubs are not considered right and therefore you should not practice them. When it is done together with shaping, it improves the attractiveness of the shrubs or trees. and better it channels its energy into bushing up - … Other parts that you need to remove include root and base trunk suckers, water sprouts, and broken, diseased, or dead wood. See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. University of Delaware (UD). Young plants and most evergreen species require little cutting and simple shaping. To prevent injuries and accidents, you must get safety gear and use it throughout the process. The weak and narrow branches create weak areas in your green fence, and you can remove them through a process called crown thinning. Dead branches can harbor pests while the diseased ones can spread the disease, so you should not allow them to exist in your fence. It inhibits the cut branches from growing back and keeps disease-carrying insects away during the healing period. Some plant species can survive pretty well when trimmed in the late spring or early summer. }. The easy solution is to bend some branches, to weave the plants together. Now I know that this is small but there is a 1/4 acre water hole butting up against the woods as well. Kidd R. "Tips on Tree and Shrub Trimming.". That stimulates vertical growth in the now empty spaces. The most recommended hand pruners are bypass and anvil. According to my own experience, the bypass pruners are the best because they don’t crush plant tissues like the anvil types. = how to make a thick hedge, privacy plants, pruning hedge, training hedge, visual barrier in the yard, PLEASE FILL IN THE BLANK BELOW * I hear lots of people say, “Can we get another one of those plants to squeeze in where that gap is?”. "Trimming Trees and Shrubs.". In old days (and in other countries today), hedges are living fences so they must be impenetrable thickets. You can really achieve even sides and a well-leveled top with the help of these tools. But they often have big gaps. The notes below apply to mature beech hedges in good condition that have reached or are near their final height.. New hedges: Formative clipping of a new beech hedge is necessary: Please read that section if you have just planted or are planning to plant a beech hedge. Some good examples of these branches include the crossing branches, narrow and weak crotches, and co-dominant branches. He loves to write about garden flowers, ponds, lawns, and hedges. On the other hand, older shrubs and adult trees can respond pretty well to excessive cutting. You then need to dispose the materials properly. You can also use them in your garden to improve soil fertility or use them as firewood. The last step is to cut the remaining stub ensuring that there is no peeling of the bark. The second step is to make another cut opposite the initial one, but slightly up or down the branch. How much can I safely trim by hand to help grow the plants from below.