When should you cut back?
The ideal time depends on what look you want to give the shrub. If the cherry laurel should always look even and as neatly trimmed as possible, it is advisable to cut back at least twice a year. Is it enough for you to keep the cherry laurel in check and if you prefer the shrub to look natural, one strong cut per year is sufficient.
also read
- The right cut of the Etna cherry laurel
- How to protect the cherry laurel from frost and sun in winter
- The correct procedure for removing the cherry laurel
The two cutbacks
If the cherry laurel is growing very strongly, it is cut in spring and summer. In this case, it has proven useful to use scissors before the first budding at the end of February to the beginning of March.
method
- Branches that have a diseased bark cut into healthy wood, as these are preferred entry points for fungi and diseases.
- Cut out branches that grow inward so that enough light penetrates into the bushes.
- Also remove all branches showing frost damage.
Then straighten the crooked edges and shorten the shoots. You can also cut deep into the old wood. The cherry laurel drifts through vigorously after a short time.
The second cut in the year
A second pruning then takes place in summer until the end of July. This allows the shoots to mature sufficiently before the cold season and no frost damage is to be feared. Many gardeners also cut off the blossoms when pruning in autumn, so that the cherry laurel hardly has blossoms from which the poisonous berries develop in the following autumn. If you do not want to do without flowers next spring, you should therefore make sure to cut out as few flower roots as possible when cutting in autumn.
The time for the one-off pruning
The cherry laurel is one of the early bloomers and is best cut immediately after flowering. This spring cut encourages the cherry laurel to sprout vigorously and densely. As a rule, this one-off cut is enough to keep the shrub's vigor in check.
When are taper cuts made
Since the cherry laurel tolerates pruning very well, you can stimulate old trees and trees that are bare at the bottom with a rejuvenating cut to sprout new ones. For bird protection reasons, this cut should be made before March 1st if possible. The sturdy cherry laurel can even be put back on the stick at this point.
Tips
In principle, you can prune cherry laurel throughout the year. However, if the temperatures are below zero, you should definitely avoid cutting. At temperatures below five degrees, freshly cut branches threaten massive frost damage that weakens the shrub.
