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- Cut a hawthorn hedge - what you should look out for
- The shape cut of a hawthorn hedge
- If need be: winter cut of hawthorn hedge
Cut a hawthorn hedge - what you should look out for
Hawthorn is one of the pome fruit plants, which are characterized by the fact that they are particularly cut compatible and robust and regenerate quickly after a cut. Hawthorn grows as a small tree, as a shrub or as a free-hanging hedge.
Here, hawthorn is one of the fast-growing woody plants that you already cut to a height of about 15 centimeters when planting. While you are only allowed to do form cuts during the summer months, you can use the winter months for more intensive pruning of the hawthorn hedge.
The shape cut of a hawthorn hedge
The shape cut is the so-called summer cut, with which you give the hawthorn hedge the desired shape in the early summer months. With regard to the local wildlife, a radical cut in the period between 1 March and 30 September is not allowed. Particularly birds prefer the hawthorn hedge as a nesting site, as the thorny branches protect the offspring from predators.
The shape cut is carried out trapezoidal. This means that the hedge narrows towards the top. In this way, your hedge remains permanently dense and, above all, healthy. If you cut the hawthorn hedge straight up, the lower area will become blunter and lose density due to lack of light. Basically, the shape cut is performed only in the new wood. The ideal time is the late afternoon, when the summer temperatures gradually cool off. In this way, you ensure that the interfaces do not dry out too quickly and that the sap can withdraw from the cut branches into the trunk.
If need be: winter cut of hawthorn hedge
Please bear in mind before the more intense winter cut, that the usually abundant white flowers of the hawthorn grow exclusively on perennial wood. However, if you want to help your hawthorn hedge to grow and become dense, you can cut them back into the old wood during the winter rest period, which is a maximum of one third of the hedge measured by the total height. For the winter cut, which should be completed by the end of February at the latest, look for outside temperatures, with a frost-free day being ideal.
When cutting the hawthorn hedge, use sharp gardening tools to achieve clean cuts that allow for quick regeneration of the plant. For larger cut surfaces, treat the cut surface with a suitable wound sealant. The reason is that every cut symbolizes an open wound through which germs and fungal spores can penetrate the plant.