Content
- Does the hornbeam need protection in winter?
- Hornbeams are absolutely hardy
- Mulch before the winter
- Do not cut back the hornbeam before winter
- Leaves of hornbeam remain hanging
- Water hornbeam in winter
- Tips
Frost and snow do not affect the hornbeam
Does the hornbeam need protection in winter?
Older hornbeams are absolutely hardy and do not need winter protection. What really bothers the trees is persistent dryness. Younger trees should be watered more often in a dry winter.
Hornbeams are absolutely hardy
Hornbeams are indigenous trees that withstand temperatures down to minus 20 degrees or even lower. Basically, older trees do not need protection in winter.
Younger trees that have been freshly planted should definitely protect you from frost in the first year.
Hornbeams, which you pull as a pillar hornbeam in the pot, overwinter in the cold greenhouse or in a sheltered place on the terrace. It should not get colder than minus ten degrees.
Mulch before the winter
Even if hornbeams survive the winter without protection, a mulch cover made of leaves, grass clippings or straw makes sense. It fulfills several functions:
Do not cut back the hornbeam before winter
Unlike many other shrubs in the garden, the hornbeam is not cut back in the fall. The pruning takes place in February.
The last cut should be done latest in August.
Leaves of hornbeam remain hanging
A peculiarity of hornbeam is that the tree is indeed deciduous, but the leaves are often hanging on the tree over winter until the new shoot.
They are no longer supplied with water and nutrients in the cold and dry up.
Dropped leaves should just be left out. They form a natural mulch cover under the hornbeam. When rotted, they release nutrients that act as fertilizer. However, leaves that have been attacked by pests or diseases must be raked up and disposed of in the household waste.
Water hornbeam in winter
In very dry winters a hornbeam can dry up. Endangered are primarily young hornbeams. They should be poured more often once.
Pour on a frost-free day. Do not wetting the trunk if possible.
Tips
A hornbeam is no longer fertilized from August. The tree would then drive out again. However, the new shoots do not mature properly and die in winter frosts.