As of: February 22, 2024, 4:52 p.m
By: Yannick Hanke
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Which plants need to be cut back in February - and what needs to be taken into account.
© imago/Symbolbild
As soon as February arrives, spring is almost around the corner again.
Various plants should be trimmed and cut beforehand.
Which one exactly?
Kassel – If you love your car, you push it.
And if you don't want a plant to suffer, cut it.
Hobby gardeners will know this.
Even before the garden is brought back to life by the first rays of spring sunshine, some plants can and should be cut.
But which plants in the garden, but also in the apartment, does this actually affect?
An overview of what consumers need to know in this context.
Garden tips: Pruning hedges in February
Many garden owners swear by hedges.
They offer privacy and are an eye-catcher for many.
On the one hand, this is of course always in the eye of the beholder, but it also depends on whether the hedge has been shaped or heavily cut back.
This should definitely be done in February.
Finally, the grandfathering applies from March 1st to September 30th.
This is intended to prevent breeding birds in the hedges from being disturbed or even their nests being destroyed, reports
NDR
, among others .
Sometimes it can be a real challenge in the garden to find the right time to trim the hedge.
Ultimately, pruning in sub-zero temperatures can lead to frost damage to hedge plants.
Accordingly, a mild February day is ideal for cutting the hedge.
Another advantage of cutting early in February: the shoots still contain little juice and the hedge plant tolerates pruning better.
What garden owners should consider when cutting hedges
There are of course a few things to consider when trimming hedges in February.
Above all: under no circumstances should you cut the hedge narrower at the bottom than at the top.
This can ensure that the hedge shades itself from top to bottom.
Also because it usually grows more strongly in the upper part.
As a result, the lower part of the hedge could quickly become bare.
A trapezoidal shape, however, is ideal for most hedge plants.
The narrower part remains at the top.
In addition, a variety of tools can be used for working in the garden to trim the hedge crown horizontally.
Before cutting, we recommend placing two bamboo sticks vertically on both sides of the hedge and stretching a straight thread between them.
This serves as a guide in the garden for a straight cut.
Why berry bushes in the garden should be cut in February
In February, or at the beginning of March at the latest, the berry bushes in the garden should also be pruned, informs
Mein Schöner Garten.
This is especially true for blackberries.
Only by cutting the plant in February will the bush produce plenty of berries again the following summer.
The shoots that bore fruit last summer must be cut back close to the ground.
However, the new shoots that have not yet borne remain standing.
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If you want to prepare for pruning the following year, attach these new shoots to a climbing aid in the garden.
Since blackberry bushes can sometimes overgrow, it is easier to distinguish between the shoots to be cut the next time they are pruned.
It is advisable for garden owners to prune grasses as early as February
So-called ornamental grasses in the garden can retain their withered and dried stalks throughout autumn and winter.
On the one hand, the root balls of the grass are better protected from ice, moisture and cold.
And on the other hand, grasses covered with hoarfrost can be a real eye-catcher in the garden in winter.
February is also the time for consumers with a garden to cut back the grass so that it can grow back strong and decoratively in spring.
The rule of thumb: cut everything straight from two hand's breadths above the ground.
Summer bloomers in the garden should be cut back in February
The buddleia, hydrangea and hibiscus in the garden also tolerate a strong pruning of two-thirds of their total size in February.
In this way they are vigorously re-expelled.
And the shoots of fuchsias should now be shortened by half.
Which houseplants need pruning in February
If you also or only rely on houseplants, you should also treat these green children to a rejuvenation cut in February.
Finally, plants away from the garden, for example in the living room, are also close to the new growth period this month.
The days are also becoming noticeably longer for houseplants, which sometimes hardly need any light.
If you want to increase the flowering power of some types of houseplants, you should definitely not do without pruning, as this ensures strong flowering.
These species include:
Petunias
Geraniums
Fuchsias
Daisies
Birch fig
Trend plants
ornamental grasses
Citrus plants
What you need to consider when pruning plants in the garden in February
It's not just the right time and the right weather that are extremely important when cutting garden plants.
But also the cutting tool for use in the garden.
In principle, very sharp knives should always be used, otherwise thicker branches could be crushed and unnecessarily injured.
Sharp secateurs should only be used on grass or very thin shoots.
In addition, the cut should always be clean and smooth.
Otherwise, pathogens or pests such as blood lice can nest in an unclean cut.
The following applies especially to garden plants: It is best to align the cut at an angle of 45 degrees downwards.
Because this way the rainwater can drain away ideally.
And without too much moisture penetrating the shoot, as long as the cut is still fresh.
Consumers should not cut these plants in February or in the garden
But there are also some types of plants in the garden that should not be cut in February.
These also include the following three:
The
magnolia
blooms very early in spring.
If there was a radical cut in February, only the beautiful flowers would be cut off.
In addition, the flower buds sprout less well from thick branches.
This also applies to witch hazel and bell hazel.
When it comes to
laburnum
, the wounds from severe pruning usually heal poorly and can severely weaken the plant.
Many
conifers
, such as pines, should only be cut in the needled area.
In most conifers, for example, new shoots do not form on the needleless trunk if the branches are cut back to this point.
With all of these tips, the major cutting can begin in February and the plants in the garden or in the apartment can be prepared for the summer.
(han)