Pruning barberry - how to shape

Barberry is the most popular plant in landscape design. In order for him to please with active growth and his beauty, he needs to be regularly and properly looked after. Pruning barberry is one of the key care procedures.

Do I need to carry out the procedure

Before you prune the barberry, you need to know exactly when the plant needs this procedure. This perennial handsome man can reach a height of 4 m, if not limited. Pruning is necessary not only to give an aesthetic appearance, but also to prevent barberry from running wild.

Barberry is a bright and unpretentious "king" of the garden

Another reason why cutting is necessary for a plant is the fact that it only produces fruits on annual branches. In the absence of regular crown renewal, it will cease to bear fruit.

Rejuvenating

The goals of anti-aging pruning are to enhance fruiting and improve the decorative characteristics of the bush. The ideal time for the procedure is late autumn before the first frost.

A rejuvenating treatment stimulates the growth of new, strong branches and a bountiful harvest

Experienced gardeners recommend pruning for the waning moon. The optimal time is September, so that the plant has time to fully recover before the onset of frost.

Rules and recommendations:

• the procedure is carried out on a strong branch, which is located at the base of the branch;
• old and damaged shoots are cut directly near the ground;
• young branches are cut if they have grown too many and they have thickened.

Before you cut the barberry, you need to pay attention to the increments. They must be of sufficient length for normal fruiting.

Sanitary

This type of pruning is the most important when caring for the plant. Timely removal of old and dry branches will help protect the entire bush from wilting and death. The procedure is carried out regularly.

In addition to the removal of dry branches, sanitary care has the goal of thinning the crown. Young shoots should not be touched. The quantity and quality of the fruit depends on how strong and long they are. Time - in the spring, before the buds have blossomed, and after harvesting.

Sanitary pruning depending on the age of the barberry:

• 1st year. Immediately after planting, the weakest shoots are removed, the rest are shortened to the point of growth;
• 2nd year. All branches are cut off, only low stumps remain;
• 3rd year and beyond. Repetition of pruning for hemp, but every year the height of the branches increases.

Pruning a bush for hemp is a way to rejuvenate the plant and renew it

Formation of the correct crown

The first 4-5 years, while the barberry is actively growing, it will not bloom. In the future, it will be possible to cut the bush figuratively only after the formation of the ovary.

Before forming the barberry, he needs to carry out sanitary pruning. If the plant is young, a hand tool can be used. For adults and loose landings, you will need an electric pruner.

Bushes of barberries, decorated in the form of various geometric shapes, look very beautiful. The simplest in execution are a cube, a cylinder, a pyramid. To make a rectangle, you need to use guide rails that are fixed horizontally and vertically. It is necessary to cut off those branches that will go beyond the boundaries of the rails.

Before you form a barberry bush, you need to decide whether the planting area is sufficient for this. Small cube - 1 large bush or 2 medium plantings. To create a large figure - at least 5-9 bushes in the center and around the perimeter. The branches are cut from the bottom to the top.

The most difficult thing is to cut a barberry in the shape of a ball. A novice gardener, before trimming a barberry with a ball, needs to prepare a template of a suitable size by cutting out a hemisphere from plastic or plywood. The template is attached to the pin and attached to the bush. As branches are removed, the plywood hemisphere moves along its axis.

A little energy and imagination will help create a work of garden art from barberry

Features of pruning barberry in spring, summer

Each type of pruning has its own characteristics, depending on what time of the year it is carried out.

• the first pruning no earlier than 10 years after planting, the next - every year;
• the initial stage of the procedure is the removal of the lower branches located near the ground;
• shortening of shoots is carried out to the first bud;
• the large cuts remaining after pruning are processed with garden pitch;
• if the crown is shaped, shoots of young branches are cut out;
• you need to cut the branch straight, without leaving burrs and crumpled bark;
• to make the plant easier to endure anti-aging pruning, it is recommended to carry it out in several stages;
• if pruning is carried out before cold weather, the plant must be fed with fertilizers with potassium and phosphorus in the composition.

Well-groomed barberry always attracts admiring glances.

Work order:

1. Young branches should be cut at an angle to the first strong buds. The stem is reduced to ¼ of its length. This will give the bush a beautiful, well-groomed look. The absence of excess growth will protect the plant from rapid transformation into permanent jungle.
2. The crown is cut carefully so as not to disturb the shape of the crown. If the bush has been actively growing throughout the season, you will have to cut off at least 20-40% of the growth.
3. Thin or dry branches are cut only on the stump.
4. Shoots that are many years old, or those that tend to grow inward, are removed to the base.

Cut branches and parts of the bark must be removed from the site.Infection and fungus from them can get on the barberry bush.

Despite the generally accepted scheme and schedule for pruning a bush, before trimming a barberry, it must be carefully examined from all sides and determine if the plant needs updating. Don't just cut branches if you don't need to.

Further care

Based on when the bush was cut, care for it also depends. If getting rid of old branches was carried out after cold weather, watering the barberry regularly is enough. If the plant was cut before winter, it needs to be fed with complex fertilizers.

Instead of fertilizing, the bush can be mulched using compost or humus. This nutrient-rich top dressing is the preferred option because it will saturate the roots for a long time.

Regular caring for barberry is not only a way to give it a beautiful shape and maintain it. This is a necessity that contributes to keeping the plant clean, it is the prevention of many diseases and the transformation of an exquisite bush into a thorny jungle.