Amazing potted shrub pruning tips gardeners most basic skills

Trees that are trimmed to a specific shape are becoming more and more popular. One of the reasons is that the courtyard is getting smaller and smaller, and we can't plant trees that are too tall or too big, so the small trees trimmed into special shapes can highlight the characteristics of the garden.

For example, an evergreen tree cut into seven or eight small balls can visually pretend to be an old shady tree.

In addition, in the cold zone, when it is bleak in winter, small trees cut into patterns can also stand out in the garden.

I. History of pruning shrubs

Shrub pruning has a long history. In the gardens of some villas, trees have been cut into various animal shapes or specific shapes.

Tree pruning is often used to highlight or beautify trees in parks. However, in recent years, it has also begun to be adopted in the front and backyard of ordinary families.

In fact, in our country, there has long been the art of pruning trees, so that trees properly appear in a large environment, in addition to the right size, but also evolve into a small bonsai, such as a small juniper whose leaves are cut into cloud shape. it's a small shrub pruning.

What are the common shrubs that need to be pruned?

The trees that are often used for pruning are mainly evergreen trees, with small, dense or needle-like leaves. Trees with large leaves are not suitable.

So the most common are yellow poplar, cypress, yew, juniper, crape myrtle, water wax, holly, Euonymus, banyan and so on.

Third, how to trim?

Generally speaking, this kind of special-shaped trees are cut and sold by gardening shops, so it is difficult to design and prune them. Because we must undergo special training and have an artistic vision, not everyone can do it.

But even if you buy a pruned tree, it needs to be pruned regularly, otherwise the branches and leaves will soon grow horizontally and lose their original appearance.

If you make your own shrub pruning, you can keep the desired leaves and cut off the rest of the branches and leaves, as in the attached picture. At first, the leaves will be very sparse, and it will take an extra year or two, or even longer, for the leaves to reach their desired shape.

4. Various shapes of trimming

1. Vertical shape pruning

Some trees do not have many accessory branches, such as boxwood, wax trees and other broad-leaved trees, can be along a single trunk, upward, cut into vertical trees.

The simplest thing is to have a trunk, cut off all the auxiliary branches, and then cut the top leaves into a ball. This category is called a lollipop. You can also set aside several secondary branches at intervals on the trunk to retain the leaves of these secondary branches and cut them into circular shapes.

At the beginning of pruning, the branches and leaves may be looser, and the more frequently they are trimmed, the faster the branches and leaves will grow denser.

This kind of ball can be trimmed to the original shape as long as the top ball or semicircle is trimmed from time to time. The denser the pruning period, the easier it is to keep the original shape.

2. Spherical:

Another common kind of tree pruning is to cut the leaves into balls one after another. this kind of evergreen trees which are suitable for many branches, such as juniper and cypress, are more suitable for branches stretching around, and small balls are on each branch. Very aesthetic.

A pruning method between upright and ball-shaped is to choose an upright evergreen tree to maintain the trunk, but also retain the secondary branches, and then cut the leaves of the branches into balls.

3. Spiral:

The other is the spiral shearing method, which takes the trunk as the axis and cuts out a spiral pattern along the main axis. This type of plant must have only one trunk and many lateral branches, covered with leaves.

It is also easy to cut the spiral lines by yourself. first cut the whole tree into a neat sharp cone, and then cut the spiral lines. The appropriate way is to cut from the top to the bottom, cut the groove close to the trunk when cutting the screw, so that the groove is obvious, but be careful not to cut the bark.

4. Other shapes:

This category allows the owner to exert his creativity and cut it into any shape. Most people choose to cut into animal shapes, or different geometric shapes.

If it is a complex animal shape, you must first wrap the wire around the tree to make a figure, and then follow the shape of the wire to cut off the excess part. If there is not enough vacancy, wait for the branches to continue to grow to fill in the blanks. So you may not be able to see the shape you need right away.

It is most suitable for trees trimmed into different shapes, such as boxwood, salmon, etc., because the branches are soft, the leaves are small and many, and it is easier to "shape" them.

When will the shrub be trimmed?

Landscape shrubs must be trimmed regularly, otherwise they will easily lose their proper shape. Generally speaking, rough figures should be trimmed at least once a year, and if they are fast-growing tree species, they may have to be cut several times more.

Just like trimming a fence, you can't wait too long. Some of the more detailed patterns, such as animal patterns, should be cut every 3 to 4 weeks, otherwise they are easy to deform.

Usually plants begin to grow in March or April, and begin to "deform" in May and June, so it is best to cut them in June, too early, because the leaves and branches are too young and may hurt the branches, so the first cut every year should be after mid-June.

Then, if necessary, cut it again in the fall. Some plants grow faster and need to be pruned more often. If it is trimmed when it is deformed too much, it may be difficult to cut into the original shape. As for some spherical patterns, they can be trimmed from time to time to keep the shape unchanged.

When cutting the first hand, it is best to cut a little bit at a time, and then stand a little farther away, and then continue to cut it carefully, so as not to miss if you cut too much at once.

If the figure is too large, the inner leaves may wither because they cannot shine in the sun. Therefore, too large graphics may not last long, or form a hollow. So it's best to avoid too large graphics.

The leaves of shrubs have been pruned, sometimes with fewer leaves, thus affecting photosynthesis, so pay attention to their health. First of all, it must be planted in a sunny place, do not let the soil, early spring is too dry, late autumn, it is best to cover the soil with a layer of soil or organic soil.

If it is a potted plant, pay attention to whether the pot is big enough to prevent the branches from tipping to one side. To pay attention to the pot soil can not be completely dry, it is best to supplement the better soil on the soil surface from time to time, and it is best to change the larger pot every two years when potted.

How to prevent and control diseases and insect pests?

The pruned tree said earlier that photosynthesis may be slightly affected, and there will be no special diseases and insect pests.

However, because many pruned trees are boxwood, and boxwood sometimes gets leaf wilt, which is caused by fungi, which will spread if left untreated, causing large leaves to wither.

Once found, the diseased leaves must be cut off and quarantined, that is, dustbins must be thrown instead of composting bins.

Diseased leaves on the ground should also be dealt with immediately, do not stay on the ground, because they are contagious. Then spray fungicides on the plants. (the picture below shows the consequences of withered leaves and dry interior.)

In order to avoid leaf disease, in addition to maintaining good ventilation and plenty of sunshine, we should also avoid planting in areas with strong northerly winds. In addition, when the leaves are too thick, the central part can be trimmed so that the sun can enter.

At the beginning of pruning, the problem may be that the leaves are not thick enough, but after shaping, the leaves may be too thick. It should be handled at your discretion.