How to Trim Cedar Hedges

If you have a cedar hedgerow, pruning is a very important aspect of regular care. This is not just to ensure that your hedge continues to look its best, but also to ensure that it continues to be in good health. When a cedar hedge has been allowed to become unmanaged, it can become enormous in size, and, in some instances, it may be hard to bring it back to its former splendour. However, certain cedar hedges have the potential to grow to great heights.

Because aged wood does not encourage new growth, cedar hedges can be difficult to keep in good condition, making their upkeep challenging. Therefore, when trimming, extreme caution is required to avoid creating holes within the hedge. Instead of attempting to do a job of this nature on your own, we strongly advise getting in touch with a qualified hedge trimming company and enlisting their assistance.

How much should I trim them?

As is the case with the vast majority of conifers, new growth doesn't really emerge from the old wood of cedar trees (or old branches). Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to trim to the appropriate length to maintain a uniform hedge that is free of gaps. The new growth, which is the portion of the hedge that is lighter in colour, has to have between one-third and one-half of its length trimmed off to obtain the optimum effects. It is advisable to trim your hedges every year or have someone else do it for you so that you don't lose control of them. If you absolutely have to perform severe pruning on a cedar hedge, you should be prepared to wait between three and four years for the voids to be filled in by new growth of leaves. Your perseverance will be rewarded in due time!

It is necessary to have special tools, such as a ladder or a specialised long-reach hedge trimming tool, to prune a cedar hedge that is quite tall. The vast majority of professional gardeners have all of this equipment in addition to other tools. When working on tall hedges or even just very wide hedges, a hedge trimmer with a long reach can save a substantial amount of time and effort.

After the lilacs have finished blooming, the early to late part of June, depending on your environment, is the time of year that is best for trimming a cedar hedge. Even though it has very nearly completed growing for the year at this point, the new growth that it produces will still be a lighter green colour than the stems that it produced the year before. This is significant because you should only trim into the growth of the current year to achieve the best results. You can even prune later in the season, even as late as the beginning of September, but by that time, it will be more difficult to differentiate between new growth and older growth because the foliage will no longer have its "spring green" colour.

When you prune, your objective will be to eliminate one-third to two-thirds of the total length of the shoots that were produced in the current year. To complete the task, you can choose to do it utilising either a manual or motorised hedge trimmer. If you want young plants to grow to the desired height, you must prune them less frequently than older hedges. However, after the desired height has been reached, annual pruning is required.

To draw a straight line (caution: this requires an excessive amount of precision for a casual gardener! ), place a tall stake at every end of the hedgerow, stretch a cord between the stakes, pull the cord so that it is taut, and then use a level to adjust the height of the cord so that it is at the exact desired level. Now all you need to do is follow the cord with the trimmer while making sure not to cut the cord. Have the best of luck! (There is no way you'll catch me engaging in that behaviour!)

It is possible, with certain models of long-reach hedge trimmers, for the operator to trim the top of the hedge while still standing on the ground thanks to swivelling hands. If you don't know what you're doing with these instruments, you could end up spending a lot of money and putting yourself in harm's way. Having said that, when used in conjunction with a ladder of the right height, they are among the most effective tools for trimming very tall hedges.

When trimming a tall cedar hedge, it is essential to keep in mind that the total height of the hedge cannot be significantly altered; for instance, a cedar hedge that is 20 feet in height cannot be trimmed down to 8 feet in height. Under these conditions, the hedge would be destroyed to a significant degree. One of the greatest things to do if you're dealing with extremely overgrown and tall cedar hedging is just to replace it.

Beginning in the spring, you should begin trimming.

Cedar trees can see the growth of anything from 1 to 3 feet each year on average. It is essential to stay on top of your hedge-trimming responsibilities if you do not want your hedgerow to become unkempt.

When you trim the cedar, you will need to cut one-third to two-thirds of the length of the cedar's growth that has occurred in the current year. You can do this with a manual hand shear or with electric hedge trimming equipment, our team is always ready to help you with this.

The question that needs to be answered is: when is the optimal time to begin trimming? The beginning of spring is ideal for getting things going. The purpose of this throughout the summer season is to encourage healthy growth.

Pruning should be done during the summer season.

It is imperative that you continue the maintenance of your hedges throughout the summer after your trees have been cut throughout the spring. During the months of spring and summer, you should prune your cedars after every 6 inches (or 15 cm) of new growth.

When you prune the cedars, make sure to follow their natural pyramidal growth pattern. You should trim the uneven foliage, keeping the lower branches as long as possible while moving up the length of the tree and pruning a little bit closer to the branch as you go. Ensure that the cedars are watered once a week, even if the weather during the summer is normally hot and dry.

Avoid cutting in the fall.

Although it is necessary to prune your cedar hedge throughout the summer months to keep it in good condition, you should refrain from doing any pruning work during the autumn months. When September arrives, your cedars will begin concentrating their energy on their roots to be ready for the colder months that are to come. Your cedars will suffer due to the trimming since open wounds are more difficult to heal. Because of this, your cedar trees will be susceptible to harm, the repair of which could take many months. No trimming or pruning should be done during the fall since it is better to be safe than sorry.

During the winter, take care to protect your cedar hedges.

Because of the cold weather, your cedar hedge can suffer some damage throughout the winter. The best way to ensure that your cedar hedges remain in good condition during the winter is to take some preventative measures, our professionals know everything about this. How does one go about accomplishing this goal? Clear away any snow or precipitation buildup that may have occurred at the peak of the hedges as a result of the recent snowfall. There is a good chance that the branches of your cedars will break due to the weight. Be aware of de-icing salt as well, as this substance can inflict significant harm on your cedars. Ensure that your hedges are not exposed to the elements, which could result in their death.

How To Trim Overgrown Cedar Hedging

There is absolutely nothing that can be performed to restore cedar hedges that have been permitted to become overgrown to their former splendour once this condition has been allowed to occur. It is not a simple process to reduce the height of a very tall hedge to an adequate level by cutting it down to a shorter length. If cedar hedges are allowed to continue growing unchecked for an extended length of time, they will surely turn into a cluster of cedar trees; the only way to repair this is to take down a considerable amount of trees and then transplant an appropriate hedge in their place.

In contrast, side, if the cedar hedge hasn't become completely overgrown, a trained expert who specialises in pruning hedges may be able to restore the hedge to the state it was in before it became overrun. That satisfies the feeling of aesthetic pleasure, even if not totally, at least to some degree, in certain ways.

You are more than welcome to get in contact with us if you have any queries about how to deal with cedar hedges that have become overgrown or about how to trim perhaps a cedar hedge that is tall. We are pleased to supply you with any further information that you desire if you have more questions, contact us.

Which Implements Are Most Suitable for the Treatment of My Hedgerows?

The species of hedge you have and its proportions will play a vital role in determining the tool that is the most suitable for the task at hand. Because of their low mobility, electric and gas-powered equipment are notoriously difficult to use in a manner that is free of risk. They are able to cause damage to the leaves, which includes turning the tips of the leaves brown. When working on huge projects, using equipment that is powered by electricity is the safest and most reliable way to achieve the best results. Hand-cutting equipment is ideally suited for use in activities that are less extensive and call for a higher degree of precision. If you want to get the most out of any instrument over an extended length of time, you need to keep it clean and make sure it's in good shape.

How should one go about Pruning, Shaping, and Trimming Their Plants?

The act of cleaning itself can be a pretty time-consuming process at times, but if you lay down a large tarp, it will make the job go by much more quickly than it would have otherwise. Make a precise plan of exactly where you intend to cut your hedges and investigate the interior of your living wall; it's conceivable that some animals have made a home there. Make sure to get permission from the landowner before cutting your hedges.

It is essential to thin out thick regions and remove any dead branches to encourage development. This will help the plant to thrive. In any one year, you should never prune more than one-third of the entire volume of the shrub. Suckers, which are little branches that develop at the base of the tree, as well as limbs that rise vertically on conspicuous branches, need to be removed from the tree as soon as possible (known as waterspouts).

Both of these forms of development drain the plant's supply of the nutrients it needs to survive. Precision is of the biggest significance when it comes to formal shrubs; it is advisable to trim the tips while preserving a wide base.

What would you consider to be the best form for a cedar hedge?

Although a tall wall is typically what comes to mind when we think of the ideal hedge, the strongest cedar hedges are ones that are trimmed to a shape that is slightly conical rather than square-cut. The surface area of the hedge needs to be exposed to adequate sunshine for it to be possible for the plants to keep their health throughout.

When you trim your hedge such that it is somewhat wider at the base, you will provide a portion of the hedge with access to light that it would not have had in any other circumstance. It is also suggested that the tip be trimmed into a point rather than in a horizontal fashion. This protects against damage caused by severe snowfall.

Should I give my cedar hedges any fertiliser?

Applying compost to your bushes throughout the springtime will give them the essential minerals for growth. However, you should not bury the collar beneath the compost.

There is also the option of utilising a granular fertiliser to stimulate growth. In this instance, the number that comes first in the formula should be the one that is the highest, such as "20-10-12." Before the middle of July, hedges should be fertilised...if you wait any longer, you risk finding brown margins on your hedge the following spring. When fertilising between the last week of July and the beginning of August, search for a product with the highest possible value for the final number.

Can You Reduce A Cedar Hedge?

In an ideal world, you would keep the size of your cedar hedge under control by trimming it once a year, being sure to stop short of the growth from the previous year. If, on the other hand, your hedge has been a little bit neglected – say, for no more than two years – it is possible to actually reduce its width and height by pruning it more severely while still trying to remain in the green part of the plant. This is accomplished by cutting back on the number of branches. Never make cuts in wood that are older than two years (brown wood), as cedars are unable to regenerate successfully from old wood.

But What If It Has Been Ignored to an Extreme Degree?

If your cedar hedge has become far too wide or much too tall (which happens rapidly if you forget to trim it annually; remember that cedars will grow from 1 to 3 feet/30-90 cm a year! ), it will probably not be possible to prune it back to a more suitable size. If you trim into the old wood of a cedar hedge, any regeneration will be uneven, leaving it with an uncovered top and sides full of decaying patches that will take years to recover, if they ever do recover at all.

This is in contrast to a non-conifer hedge, which you can cut back nearly to the ground if needed and which will then come back fairly. You will discover that it is preferable to remove the hedge entirely and begin the process from the beginning.

But, while it is not possible to significantly reduce the size of a thick hedge, it is possible to significantly reduce the height of a tall hedge as long as you do not anticipate the results to be ideal in the near future. In order to test out this strategy, cut the hedge such that it is at least a foot (or 30 cm) shorter than you would ideally like it to be. Firstly, this will result in a hedge that is still green on the sides but has a brown top.

You will, however, be able to gradually fill in the dead centre of the hedge if you cut it carefully each year and allow it to grow approximately 2 inches (5 cm) taller each season. This will allow you to gradually stimulate the side branches to grow inward and begin to fill in the space. After some time has passed, the gaping hole at the top will ultimately be filled up, leaving you with an appropriate hedge. Keep in mind, though, that this could take several years.

The lesson to be learned from this anecdote is that if you establish a cedar hedge, you are obligated to prune it on an annual basis. There is no denying it!

Crucial Tips Which You Need To Remember

1. Determine the location of the dead zone on the inside of the tree. Do not enter the dead zone, nor should you get close to it. If you prune the tree to the point where the dead zone is exposed, the tree will never produce new growth and will remain permanently misshapen. When developing your strategy for the tree, be sure to keep this dead zone in mind.
2. Before you make each cut, disinfect your pruning equipment with rubbing alcohol and let them dry completely. This will help prevent the spread of disease.
3. Check the living zone for any limbs that are missing, sick, or broken. Remove a portion of the limb by cutting it back to the point where it is just beyond a green shoot. Another option is to remove the entire branch by reaching back toward the tree's trunk.
4. Reduce the size of the tree by thinning out branches that are too close together or that grow inward toward the trunk. You can either remove the branch entirely or clip it just beyond a young shoot.
5. In the middle of summer, take a pruning shear to the outside of the tree, taking only the top 2 to 3 inches while keeping plenty of green foliage on the tree. It is impossible for new growth to occur on branches that have had most or all of their green tissue removed.
6. If at all feasible, you should not top the tree; instead, you should prune only the leaves at the very top. If it is essential to top the tree to reduce its height considerably, remove no more than one-quarter of its total height. Because the tree will slowly recover at the top, it is important to cut it in a location that will either allow the chopped top to be covered or will make its appearance less noticeable.

Conclusion

It is imperative that you give careful attention to the tasks of trimming, pruning, and keeping your cedar hedgerow if you do not want your cedar hedge to wind up looking unsightly, becoming inappropriate for use as a private border, and possibly passing away during the course of the winter season. The task of pruning your hedges is not particularly challenging; however, you should proceed with prudence. If you want this hedge to perform its purpose, however, proper cedar hedge maintenance is the single most important thing you can do to ensure its success. The following are some additional helpful hints regarding cedar hedges.