Never cut cherry laurel with electric hedge trimmers - otherwise it will be bitter
Created: 07/19/2022, 08:31
By: Andrea Stettner
In order for cherry laurel to grow densely and beautifully, it needs pruning every year.
Here we explain when it is best to cut your hedge and how.
The cherry laurel
(Prunus laurocerasus)
, also called laurel cherry,
is an indispensable part of Germany's gardens.
Although the easy-care hedge plant is very controversial among conservationists, the evergreen deciduous plant can be found in almost every modern front yard.
And not without reason: cherry laurel grows quickly and quickly forms an opaque privacy screen.
The annual growth is a proud 20 to 40 centimeters.
An annual pruning is required to ensure that the hedge does not overgrow too much.
Young hedge plants also become nice and dense.
When you should cut the cherry laurel and how to do it right, we show below.
The cherry laurel is very popular as a hedge.
Anyone who cuts it regularly will have a lot of fun with it.
© McPHOTO/Imago
Pruning cherry laurel: when is the best time?
Cherry laurel is usually cut once a year.
The ideal time is the end of June to the end of July.
The first growth spurt is completed by St. John's Day on June 24th.
However, nesting birds should have flown by now.
Anyone who prefers a tidy appearance to their hedge rather than natural growth can use pruning shears twice a year.
In this case, according to
Plantopedia
, you should make the cut in the spring and summer.
A second pruning is always recommended when the cherry laurel has already grown too large or has become bald.
Spring pruning then takes place from mid-February to early March.
However, frost should not prevail.
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How do I properly prune cherry laurel?
And this is how you cut cherry laurel correctly:
The new growth should be reduced by half, advises the portal
My Beautiful Garden
.
If older branches are shortened, this encourages the shrub to sprout again.
The hedge is becoming so beautifully dense.
Cut off the shoots to be shortened slightly above the base of the leaves.
You can achieve the best results with a hand hedge trimmer.
Electric scissors would literally shred the large leaves of the cherry laurel.
In this case, brown, dried-up cut edges remain, which are unattractive to look at.
In the case of the evergreen hedge plant, the injured leaves would only be replaced by new, fresh leaves very slowly.
Always wear gloves when pruning: cherry laurel is poisonous and can cause skin irritation.
When to cut cherry laurel?
Make sure the weather is right
When it comes to the question of when cherry laurel should be cut, the right weather is also crucial: Do not cut cherry laurel in rain or wet weather - otherwise there is a risk of fungal attack.
Too much sunshine is also unfavorable, as the plant could otherwise get sunburned.