Gardening and Horticulture - Pruning/controlling arborvitae hedge
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MikaMan
04-16-09, 04:09 PM
I planted a rather extensive arborvitae hedge about 3 years ago -- about 40 plants, overall length must be about 200 feet. They were 6-footers when purchased, and they have grown in really well. They're now about 9 - 10 feet tall, and almost wide enough to touch each other. I have not pruned these at all (yet).
My goal is to have a solid hedge for privacy, but still be able to maintain it myself, with a hedgetrimmer and step ladder.
So the question is, when should I start to prune, and how? The big thing I am worried about is height. I have seen some arb hedges that have grown way, way tall and can't be maintained by the homeowner any more. I don't want that to happen.
Will I cause problems if I "top" the arbs? How can I keep them from growing too tall, without injuring them or creating some other problem? Should I trim the tops frequently (like once a year)? Or is there some maximum amount to take off, like "don't trim more than a foot off the top" or "don't prune more than 10% of their height" or some rule of thumb?
My goal is to have a solid hedge for privacy, but still be able to maintain it myself, with a hedgetrimmer and step ladder.
So the question is, when should I start to prune, and how? The big thing I am worried about is height. I have seen some arb hedges that have grown way, way tall and can't be maintained by the homeowner any more. I don't want that to happen.
Will I cause problems if I "top" the arbs? How can I keep them from growing too tall, without injuring them or creating some other problem? Should I trim the tops frequently (like once a year)? Or is there some maximum amount to take off, like "don't trim more than a foot off the top" or "don't prune more than 10% of their height" or some rule of thumb?
Newt
04-18-09, 04:44 PM
Understanding pruning arborvitae.
http://www.aboutarborvitae.com/pruning_arborvitae.shtml
Here's a site on when and how to prune an evergreen.
http://www.emmitsburg.net/gardens/articles/frederick/2003/prune_evergreen.htm
See 'Pruning Junipers and Arborvitae' here.
http://cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/618.pdf
Pruning dos and don'ts for conifers.
http://www.conifersociety.org/cs/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=19&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0&POSTNUKESID=6992a8935f54613ab0e0687804397b4f
Some good info here on pruning hedges here starting at the bottom of page 10.
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-4.pdf
You might also find this video helpful.
http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/videos/trim-hedge-with-straight-edges.aspx
Newt
http://www.aboutarborvitae.com/pruning_arborvitae.shtml
Here's a site on when and how to prune an evergreen.
http://www.emmitsburg.net/gardens/articles/frederick/2003/prune_evergreen.htm
See 'Pruning Junipers and Arborvitae' here.
http://cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/618.pdf
Pruning dos and don'ts for conifers.
http://www.conifersociety.org/cs/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=19&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0&POSTNUKESID=6992a8935f54613ab0e0687804397b4f
Some good info here on pruning hedges here starting at the bottom of page 10.
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-4.pdf
You might also find this video helpful.
http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/videos/trim-hedge-with-straight-edges.aspx
Newt