Pruning shrubs - but how?
What, the shrubs in your garden still haven't been cut back? Hop, hop, grab the secateurs and tick off the task. But be careful, autumn is not suitable for all shrubs. Gardener Martin Rusterholz, executive board member of the Rusterholz Plant Centre in Oberrieden, explains what you need to look out for.
Why is now the best time to cut back plants?
Martin Rusterholz: As the cold season approaches, plants go into hibernation, drop their leaves and dry out. This makes them easy to prune. For certain plants, however, it is better to wait until spring to do the actual pruning. In the case of roses, for example, only the flower shoots should be pruned generously in autumn and then cut back more radically to around 25 centimetres in spring.
So we should prune plants now because it's easiest?
Exactly, the plants are more accessible, but also drier because the sap flow is reduced.
Why do plants need to be pruned at all?
For structural reasons, most plants would otherwise start to proliferate.
What if you just left the plant to its own devices and let it grow?They would spread and overgrow everything. With certain plants, you also have to pay attention to the structure of the branches. Fruit trees, for example, must be pruned to fruiting wood, otherwise they won't fruit as well the following year.What does this mean: pruning to fruiting wood?After a certain age, trees form shoots whose buds develop into fruit. This is the fruiting wood.Can anyone do this themselves? In which case should you call in a specialist?Anybody can prune ordinary shrubs themselves. For fruit trees, however, you should call in a professional, especially as a layperson will not recognise the fruit wood. Even if you have large trees in your garden, it is worth regularly calling in a professional to prune the tree properly. Do you do it yourself, can you do it with simple secateurs? When should you start using a machine?Shrubs are easy to cut with ordinary secateurs. Hedge shears are recommended for hedges. It is also important to disinfect the tool from time to time, otherwise you will pass on diseases from plant to plant when cutting. You can disinfect secateurs with a Bunsen burner, for example. What needs to be considered specifically for flowering shrubsFlowering shrubs should always be pruned after flowering. If you prune a spring-flowering shrub over the winter, you will eliminate all flowering plants and thus prevent flowering in spring.What to do with berry bushesIn a nutshell: cut out old shoots and leave new shoots in place.And for hedges?The best time to prune is in June or July when the sky is overcast. If necessary, a small amount of pruning is required in winter if the hedge has grown again in autumn.Why when the sky is overcast?If you prune in bright sunshine, leaves that were previously covered are suddenly exposed to the sun's rays and fall off.What is often done wrong when pruning?You should take the natural structure of a plant into account when pruning. On a Japanese maple, for example, you should not cut the tips, but remove entire branches and thus reduce the size of the plant. This technique allows the maple to retain its natural shape. There are different things to consider for different plants."Better not to prune at all than to prune incorrectly" - is that true?If you're not sure how and what needs to be pruned, it's better to consult a professional and have them show you. Otherwise, what we call "house pruning" is often done: Everything is cut off grosso modo. Of course, this is also pruning, but anything but optimal. Does the plant then die?No, not at all. Incidentally, this also doesn't happen if you don't prune a plant for a year. But the effort required the following year will be correspondingly greater.How helpful are YouTube videos in this respect?They can be helpful. However, we cannot guarantee that the instructor in the video is an expert. If you watch a video on the website of a specialist garden centre, you can be sure that experts are at work. Do you have any tips on materials and tools?Never work with the cheapest tools, as the ergonomics for hands and joints are usually not optimal and the interfaces are not clean either.## Products you could useSolid and well thought-out pruning shears that fit well in the hand: [[Productlist:5825074]]More affordable model that is suitable for smaller shrubs: [[Productlist:234535]]Variant for left-handers. Made in Switzerland, as you can see from the colours 😊 [[Productlist:2478259]]If the branch seems too thick, you should use a saw instead of ruining the secateurs. [[Productlist:234643]]With the pruning shears, you can easily reach higher branches. [[Productlist:234549]]With the anvil pruning shears, you can also cut thicker calibres with little force. [[Productlist:424631]]A shredder is worthwhile for larger quantities of garden cuttings: the waste can be transported much more compactly or prepared for easier composting. An ideal candidate for a joint purchase with the neighbours. [[Productlist:330631]]Favourable, but good: Bosch hedge trimmers - the reviews speak for themselves. [[Productlist:363266]]## More about garden maintenance[[marketingpage:2526]] [[marketingpage:2434]] [[marketingpage:2767]]
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