Vigorous conifers used to form hedges need pruning to keep an aesthetic appearance throughout the year. Let's see how to proceed...
When to prune your coniferous hedge?
Leyland cypress or cedar are the two species most often used to create hedges. These trees are fast growing and have an amazing development if the growing conditions are right for them. Keep in mind that in the wild, these trees can grow up to 20 meters tall, so you need to curb their eagerness to grow twice a year. The first pruning is done in April or early May, the second at the end of August if necessary.
General information on pruning
Conifers sometimes have a tendency to recede from the base, regular pruning should avoid this phenomenon.
To trim your hedge, use a lopper, shears or a hedge trimmer.
If you are pruning high up in the tree, you may want to use a scaffold to avoid having to keep moving your ladder and wasting time securing it to the ground.
If you use the hedge trimmer, keep it level with your body to gain precision and limit fatigue (and tendonitis).
Put a line between two stakes to determine the height of your hedge, so it will be straight and not form 'waves'.
Always trim your hedge so that its base is wider than its top. This allows for better air, light and rain penetration and compensates for the ever-increasing top growth.
If it snows at your place, do not prune your hedge flat during the second pruning in August but make a rounding at the top so that the snow does not break the branches.
How to prune a conifer hedge?
Start by placing the line horizontally to determine the maximum height of your hedge.
First, trim the base of your hedge. To do this, remove the young shoots by cutting off 2/3 of the end of the stem with disinfected shears. The width chosen will then be the maximum width of the hedge.
Never prune in the old wood because new shoots could not form. Moreover, pruning large branches is an open door to various cryptogamic diseases. If you ever have to cut this type of branch anyway, coat the wound with clay to protect it.
Keep the blades of the shears or hedge trimmer parallel to the hedge.
Then step back and examine your work to determine any oversights.
Once the bottom is trimmed, set up your scaffold parallel to the hedge. Be sure to calculate its height so that you don't have to bend or kneel to trim your hedge. The tool you use must be able to stay in the extension of your arm when standing.
Trim the sides and then the top, following the line. Step down from your scaffolding to take a step back and identify any adjustments that need to be made.
