Pruning Hornbeam

Guys,

Ive been puzzling how to prune my new Hornbeam hedge. This is its second winter. I pruned all side shoots last winter and it says i need to do it again BUT do i prune the leading stem aswell ? The hedge is not at the required height and i was concerned that i would keep it back by doing this ?

G

 

The standard advice is to allow the leader to grow until it is about a foot higher than the ultimate required height of the hedge, then prune back to a little below that height to allow for growth. So, no. leave the leader alone.

 

I pruned the leader on all my deciduous hedges, but left alone on all my conifer ones. Makes for a bushier hedge IMO.

Conifers tend not to make a good replacement leader once they lose theirs, so take ages to get to final height (and probably create a less well constructed framework as a result)

However, with non-Coniferous plants (there may be exceptions, but I can't think of one off hand) the plant creates a strong leader from one of the remaining buds once they break, but IME it does give a boost to the secondary buds. Things like Holly make very spindly plants it the tips are not pinched out

Consider, for example, the training of Espalier Apples. The top growth is taken out each year to encourage two strong sideways shoots. The new leader that is also put out (to grow on up to make the next tier, next year) is very strong.

For some deciduous hedges a more bushy end result may be achieved by removing 1/3rd of previous year's growth. I've never had the courage to do that! instead just pinching the leading buds (off leader and side shoots)

 

Hi Kristan
When I planted last winter I did prune the leader and most have put up a new one which I have trained with a cane but there doesn't seem to be any side shoots coming from them. I was concerned that pruning them back again would mean the same thing happening and I will never get them to the desired height.

G

 

Maybe do the 1/3rd prune-back then? Worth looking on the Internet at what the consensus is. I would be swayed by any Forestry / Agricultural advice.

Not sure I have any closeups of mine, but I would think that side shoot growth is modest / non existent on new growth (the leader that appears and grows in "current year") but comes from the buds below where you pruned/nipped the leader back to last year.

These photos were, AFAIK, taken from the same place each time. I have tried to crop them to get the same height of background in each one. Hedge was planted Feb 2011

July 2011


June 2012


Jul 2013


I think it shows that a strong leader has developed each year, but what was the leader in the previous year has bushed out. But that's only my personal experience ...

 

Looked on the NET for a while and couldnt really see what to do. They all say in the first few years prune out side shoots to aid the bushing out but nothing about the leader.

G

 

I didn't spend long looking, but found this - although it is a bit ambiguous - seems to imply that by Year 2 you will have an all-but mature hedge!

http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/hedg.../beech-hedge-plants-cutting-back-young-plants

 

Its the usual NET thing Kristan. So many sites say different things. The above is for Beech rather than Hornbeam so maybe they are different, who knows. Plus it doesn't say if this newly planted hedge is at the desired height already, if it is then yes maybe a light prune but mine has at least 3 feet to go until its at the height so do you leave that leader until it is ?

 

I wouldn't worry too much on that count. They are similar enough, in general terms. I picked Ashridge's site as likely being trustworth, but if I had time I would be looking for Agricultural / Forestry sites / research.

Don't suppose you got the hedge plants from Ashridge did you? If so I would phone them up, they are very helpful (although NOT calling them in mid Winter main selling season might get you a bit more airtime!)

How long have they been in? Do my 1/2/3 year pics give you any encouragement that yours will wind up thick enough?

 

Hi

How big when you planted them , Hornbeam just like beech take years to mature into a decent hedge ie at least 5 years if not longer and thats just to get the framework going , I did once plant a small hedge in length and used "whips" more expensive but I had the height much earlier and once the height was reached left it a year then took the tops out to the height I wanted .

I think with Hornbeam it is seed grown so they can grow haphazardly , one is more bushier and grows quicker , one that just does very little , my biggest dislike of them is the bare at the bottom and once that happens very difficult to get re-growth.

With all hedges that are going to be in situ for many years is the prep of the planting trench and I know this makes all the difference, with even growth of the whole hedge especially in a dry summer .

I would leave the leader alone , and what I done in the late spring was nip out the ends of the new growth rather than cutting into the old wood and this did help it to produce more side growths if that is what you are after .

I really like hornbeam and so more useful in ground that is heavy and very wet its the ideal hedge plant , but so slow ..... to get established and if you want to hide neighbours other quicker shrubs are needed.

Spruce

 

Mine's been pretty quick, compared to my expectations. Leylandii would be faster, no doubt , but it would carry on being fast once it got to final height. Thus I'm surprised, and curious, that you have found it slow

 

I thought that from your photos , but they do like a open space/sunshine and yours had all of that going for them ideal conditions.

Spruce

 

This is there second winter so have been in a year. They weren't bought from Ashbridge no and they didn't have that straighter main stems either so when they were planted, i pruned all the stems then staked a leader. This worked and all the stakes are now away and all have leaders as such not all directly vertical though.

Ive trimmed all the side shoots today but left most of the leaders, but most of these leaders have no side shoots, plenty of buds thought.

Arrrhhhhh dont know what to do

 

That sounds "Normal" to me. Correct me if I am wrong, but the "leader with no side shoots" you refer to is all new growth last year? If so then it will be this year that the side buds break and you get side shoots. I would not have expected that to happen within-a-season (unless you deliberately took the top tip off).

Whether it will bush more, or not, if you pinch the top leader I dunno. That's what I did to mine, and I got a strong leader in its place !! so whether that also promoted more side growth / bushiness, or if I would have got the exact-same if I had not pinched the tips, I don't know. I expect that I set it back by pinching out the tip though (although I did that when it was dormant, so maybe the second-best bud then just swelled and became the leader exactly as the primary would have done).

Either way, based on my experience and other comments, I reckon you will be fine either way, so go with your instincts.

Do watch out for the bottoms though to ensure that they are bushy enough. Trim them with a decent batter, even if you make it more vertical later in its life. Mine is due North-South which probably gives me best possible chance.