Thanks to its magnificent growth and evergreen leaves, the Thuja hedge is very popular. The trees of life are easy to care for and robust. Nevertheless, garden owners have to cut back the thuja hedge regularly. Find out how here.
Table of Contents
Maintenance of thuja hedges
The Thuja hedge is a hardy plant. If you don’t cut the trees of life regularly, you will soon see large specimens.
However, the individual Thuja trees are pruning compatible. This makes it possible to give the wildly growing hedge structure and create a beautiful look. Some gardeners advocate leaving the thuja hedges uncut. However, this approach has disadvantages:
- ugly sight after a few years
- Growth is slower
- as the height progresses, maintenance becomes impossible
Point of time
Regular pruning is recommended if the Thuja is to develop optimally. For many gardeners, the question arises of how often it is necessary to cut the thuja hedge. The following aspects are important when planning the cut and the specific time:
- rough time frame instead of precise point in time
- at least once a year
- up to three cuts a year
- possible from spring to late summer
Three cuts
We recommend pruning the thujas three times. Then you should start with the first cut in April. The second round follows in June when growth slows. At the end of August, you can cut the thuja hedge for the third time, before the approach of autumn and winter.
purpose of the hedge
When cutting the thuja, it depends on what function it takes on in the garden. The plants are often used as hedges. Occasionally, single specimens are planted for ornament in the garden. The specific purpose affects the cutting requirements. If you have a hedge in the garden, it should remain tight to ensure privacy. In the case of individual ornamental plants, on the other hand, the shape is decisive.
The tool
Before you start pruning instructions, you need the right tool. Motorized hedge trimmers are very popular because they can save time and energy. Manual hedge trimmers are the better choice for the Thuja hedge. These give you more control to shorten the shoots just a little. The following tools and materials are the basis for your success in pruning the thuja:
- hedge trimmer
- ladder
- pruning saw
- Bags for branches, twigs and co.
- Work clothes, gloves and goggles
The cutback
The specific instructions for the pruning depend on the respective shape. For special shapes you should use a sketch as a guide. Otherwise you can use the following instructions:
- cut only a few centimeters
- remove disturbing branches close to the trunk
- Cut back a maximum of two-thirds of the growth per year
- don’t cut the scrap wood
- shorten long main shoots
frequently asked Questions
The entire tree of life is poisonous. This can cause health problems not only when eating the green leaves. The escaping juice can cause dermatological irritation. Consequently, workwear is the means of choice.
The evergreen foliage makes the Thuja hedges a popular planting in the home garden. Some varieties are winter hardy down to -30 degrees. It is important that the plants have enough liquid in winter. Then overwintering is not a problem.
You should not cut the thujas on wet autumn days. Interfaces are ideal for pathogens. In bad weather, the trees of life cannot quickly heal the wounds. In addition, the plant sap escapes. However, this is vital for the Thuja hedge.
When the crop goes wrong, bald spots are the order of the day. Young shoots often forgive human error. It is also possible to pull neighboring branches into the hole and fix them there. After a short time the hedge closes again.
