Content
- How dangerous is the cutting of the yew?
- Can you cut a yew without danger?
- The sap can cause inflammation
- Precautions when cutting a yew
- Where to go with the cut remnants of the yew?
- The best time to cut the yew
- Tips
Yew trees are best cut with gloves
How dangerous is the cutting of the yew?
The yew is not wrongly considered a dangerous garden tree. It contains the toxin taxin, which can even be fatal if ingested. However, pure yew cutting is not dangerous if you take a few protective measures.
Can you cut a yew without danger?
A risk of poisoning by yew exists only if you consume parts of the yew plant. The poison is in the trunk, needles and the seeds of the fruits. The pulp itself is edible and is very popular with birds.
Cutting the yew is therefore not dangerous.However, you should still take a few precautions if you are to rejuvenate or get the yew into shape.
The sap can cause inflammation
When cutting the yew, the sap leaves. If it gets on the bare skin, it can cause serious inflammation. There are also gardeners who talk about skin irritations on the face, because they got needles of the yew at the delicate facial skin when cutting.
While these injuries are not life threatening, they are of course very uncomfortable. They can be avoided by appropriate precautions.
Precautions when cutting a yew
Do not leave the leftovers in the garden, especially if you have pets that may be napping on the branches. Also for animals there is a strong danger of poisoning if they consume parts of the yew.
Where to go with the cut remnants of the yew?
Even if the yew is so poisonous, you can safely bring it to the compost. The poison is decomposed by the bacteria. Once the yew has rotted, the poison has disappeared. You could use the compost so worried for vegetable beds.
Bring only healthy cut material on the compost. Mince the remains of the yew before composting them. Otherwise, the decomposition process takes a long time. Mix the yew with other compost components for a higher quality humus.
Cover the remains of yew on the compost well, so that no animals can deal with it.
The best time to cut the yew
Yew trees can be cut all year round without the risk of severe yew pruning. It survives the cutting easily and even denser by more frequent cutbacks.
Only directly in the hot summer you should do without a cut better. At the interfaces, the needles become brown under strong sunlight. This is safe for the yew, but does not look so pretty.
Tips
Yew trees are very good cut compatible. They can be cut into any desired shape without endangering the tree. Therefore, the yew is one of the most popular form trees in the garden and tub.