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Pruning barberry is an integral procedure in the process of growing shrubs, including barberry. He tolerates a haircut well, since it tends to recover quickly. For some varieties, the annual growth is 30 cm. An attractive bush is used in landscape design, as well as for obtaining valuable fruits.
Is it possible to cut barberry bushes
Barberry is a multi-stemmed shrub with thorns. It grows 3-4 meters high, if not limited. Due to the numerous lateral branches, it grows to the sides. The branches are spreading, therefore, without regular pruning, impassable thickets will turn out on the site.
Another argument for the need for pruning: fruiting and flowering of barberry occurs exclusively on annual shoots. Berries do not appear in the shade of strong thickening. Also, pruning and thinning the bush is the prevention of fungal diseases by improving crown ventilation. The insects are less likely to harm the plant.
When can you prune barberry
The timing of the pruning does not really matter. The procedure will be equivalent in spring and autumn. However, there are recommendations. Pruning should be started after harvest and before frost. In the spring you need to be in time before the appearance of new leaves. Based on the characteristics of the cultivated plant variety, a more suitable period is chosen for the pruning procedure. For example, deciduous barberries are pruned in early spring before bud break. Evergreen varieties of barberry are sheared after flowering.
The type of procedure also affects the timing.
- Sanitary pruning takes place in March-April or September-October.
- The rejuvenating procedure is best done in the spring.
- Formative pruning is planned for the spring for a single-planted bush.
If it is necessary to trim hedges or curbs, the procedure will be carried out in 2 steps. The first pruning is done in early June, and the re-pruning is done until mid-August.
How to trim barberry
The procedure for pruning barberry depends on the purpose for which this technique is carried out. As a rule, 3 pruning options are carried out annually: rejuvenating, sanitary, shaping.
- Purpose of sanitary pruning is to remove dry, sick, underdeveloped branches. This event is considered the most important, since it helps to protect the plant from possible infection by fungi and death from pests. It is recommended to carry out sanitary cleaning of the bush regularly twice a year. It is necessary to thin out the crown, cut off old shoots and thin shoots under the base. Young shoots should not be touched, they should develop, be healthy, long. After all, it is they that affect the quantity and quality of the crop. You can understand that the barberry needs sanitary pruning by making a visual inspection of the bush.
- Anti-aging pruning barberry is aimed at solving two problems: to increase the number of berries obtained and to improve the decorative properties. In order to obtain a larger yield, branches on which there is no longer fruiting are eliminated. The procedure must be translated into strong branches that grow on the same base. Rejuvenating pruning is carried out only for shrubs that are more than 10 years old. It is not advised to carry out work when the first leaves have already appeared. Usually, the rejuvenation process is performed in the fall, before the first frost begins. Old shoots are cut at the very root.Rejuvenating pruning gives a boost to young growth.
- Gentle crown formation barberry is available even for novice gardeners. In the first 4-5 years, while the process of forming a bush is taking place, about flowering and, accordingly, you can forget about the fruits. Formative pruning is performed after the ovaries appear on the bush. For an adult barberry, a rejuvenating procedure is first carried out, and then they begin to shape a bush.
If desired, you can carry out a curly haircut twice a summer, as the processes grow. New shoots that have reached 10 cm are halved. It is better to start shaping with simple geometric shapes, gradually adding a level of complexity.
Pruning barberry in spring
Pruning of barberry branches is performed, as a rule, in autumn or spring. The rejuvenating procedure is preferably performed before the wintering of the bush, after the dry foliage has fallen off. Depending on the type of planting, the following preventive measures are taken:
Trim type | Landing type | Work carried out |
Sanitary | Single shrub | Remove dry, diseased, broken shoots that have lost their decorative appearance. Thin the crown of the bush. Branches that have not endured the winter are cut off. Prune healthy branches. |
Curb plantations, hedges | ||
Formative | Single shrub | Cut off branches growing close to the ground or strongly protruding to the sides. Regulate the number of shoots in the bush. One-year growths are shortened by 6-8 cm. |
Rejuvenating | Single shrub | Old shoots are shortened at the root. Thin, poorly developing branches are removed if the plant has grown strongly. In young shoots, only 1/3 of the length is left. |
Curb plantations, hedges |
Pruning barberry in summer
It is not necessary to adhere to certain deadlines for pruning barberry. If there is a need to remove dry branches or trim the crown, then it is allowed to do this in the summer. The main thing is that the procedure is as useful as possible.
Trim type | Landing type | Work carried out |
Sanitary | Single shrub | If necessary, cut off shoots and leaves damaged by parasites. Remove wilted or infected shoots, as well as dry and yellow branches, in order to preserve the decorative characteristics of the barberry. |
Curb plantations, hedges | ||
Formative | Curb plantations, hedges | At the beginning of summer, adjustments are made to the height and width using templates. Pruning shoots outside the specified limits. After 2 months, the procedure is repeated to maintain shape. |
How to form barberry correctly
The formation of barberry begins in the second year of the shrub's life. In the spring, all branches are shortened 8-10 cm from the ground. This technique allows you to create a more lush crown by the fall. The next season, the shoots are pruned 5 cm higher than the previous ones. In the case of individual planting, this procedure can be neglected, performing only sanitary pruning on a regular basis. When creating hedges, geometric shapes, curb plantings, this pruning will be an annual necessity.
To shape, the shrub is formed gradually. First, lay 3-4 main, skeletal branches. Over time, the number is increased by adding two more skeletal branches. Thus, due to the different size of the shoots, it is possible to form a pyramidal barberry.
Features of pruning barberry Thunberg
As an ornamental shrub in Russia, the Thunberg barberry is often planted.All varieties of this plant are characterized by high frost resistance, unusual color of the leaves, but most importantly, they are used to decorate the garden. Barberry fruits are inedible.
Dwarf varieties require minimal pruning. Their average annual growth is 3-5 cm. The crown is slightly adjusted to obtain a more spectacular look. Thunberg barberry is used for curb plantations. As for pruning procedures, they are intended not only for decorative but also for sanitary purposes.
- The first pruning of barberry is carried out at the age of 10 years, the subsequent ones - annually.
- Given the thorniness of the plant, it is worth doing the work in compliance with the rules of individual safety. It is advisable to wear long protective gloves. A sharp garden pruner and a hacksaw will come in handy from the tool.
- Pruning begins by removing the lower branches, which are located near the soil itself.
- Shoots are shortened to a developed bud.
- Large cuts must be treated with garden pitch.
- Form the crown by cutting out a part of the young growth.
- Slices are performed at a slope as close to the kidney as possible. The surface should be flat, free from burrs and crushing of the bark.
- The lateral branches are cut directly along the annular ridge at the base of the shoot.
- To make the barberry easier to endure anti-aging pruning, it is carried out in several stages.
- From the area where the barberry grows, the remnants of cut shoots, dry foliage and other organic debris should be removed. Such cleaning allows you to avoid the ingress of infections and parasites into the bush.
- When planting, healthy shoots are shortened and weak shoots are cut off.
- In autumn, after pruning, they are fed with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.
- Low-growing varieties of barberry should not be specially formed. For them, it is enough to cut dry, diseased branches.
Conclusion
Pruning barberry is not only a decorative design of a shrub, but also a procedure that maintains the health of the plant at the proper level. Indeed, in strongly thickened crowns, there is poor ventilation, which provokes the emergence of infections and the development of parasites. Of course, pruning requires certain skills. However, you should not be afraid of difficulties. With each new season and shrubs, experience will accumulate.
