Hello,

A month ago I had a cedar hedge planted in my backyard.
They are about 6.5 to 7 feet in height right now but are kind of
scrawny.

Over the years I want them to first bush out more, then grow higher.

I was told by a friend that when you trim the tops, it makes the new
growth come out to the sides more and not get too woody, and nce they
are bushy enough then you can let them grow higher.

I have 3 questions, assuming this is right:

1) What time of year should the tops of the cedars be lopped off
(Fall? Spring? mid Summer?) Just once per year??

2) Given that they were just planted in mid September, should I wait a
while before I take the hedge trimmers to them, so as not to stress
them too much, or is it OK to trim them now?

3) Is there a rule of thumb as to how much to lop off the top? I was
thinking about a foot off of each one for now.

- I live in Canada (Toronto) where we get some cold winters if that
makes a difference.


Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

Over the years I want them to first bush out more, then grow higher.

I was told by a friend that when you trim the tops, it makes the new
growth come out to the sides more and not get too woody, and nce they
are bushy enough then you can let them grow higher.

I would let them grow to plan height before top-pruning, which at that time
will indeed encourage side growth. By then, they will be touching eachother,
if you spaced them correctly.
Early topping just after planting can stunt or distort vertical growth in a
young hedge tree, and topping now may add shock/injury during winter. My
understanding that evergreens can be trimmed any time of year, but live in a
mild climate, so am not sure in your case.
If plants were container grown there is no need to trim now, unless there
was root damage in transplanting, in which case some overall trimming can
reduce shock due to undersized root system..
Frequent minor shaping is what to go for. You will get an even and luxuriant
growth that way. We trim our Cypress hedges 3 or 4 times during the growing
season, the last trimming about now. Since there is no growth from Sept to
April/May in your area, why trim in winter?
Given that these are just put out, be sure to limit frost by mulching well
with 4-8 inches of shredded bark or bark mulch, or hay. Don't forget to
water periodically during thaws, if there is insufficient snow cover this
winter.



- I live in Canada (Toronto) where we get some cold winters if that
makes a difference.

Do you know the exact species of tree that you have? A lot of people in
eastern north america call the native Juniper trees "Red Cedar" even
though they are not true cedards. The exact tree you have would affect
the advice regarding puning.

Rob
NE PA

Dirk Puslich wrote:
Hello,

A month ago I had a cedar hedge planted in my backyard.
They are about 6.5 to 7 feet in height right now but are kind of
scrawny.

Over the years I want them to first bush out more, then grow higher.

I was told by a friend that when you trim the tops, it makes the new
growth come out to the sides more and not get too woody, and nce they
are bushy enough then you can let them grow higher.

I have 3 questions, assuming this is right:

1) What time of year should the tops of the cedars be lopped off
(Fall? Spring? mid Summer?) Just once per year??

2) Given that they were just planted in mid September, should I wait a
while before I take the hedge trimmers to them, so as not to stress
them too much, or is it OK to trim them now?

3) Is there a rule of thumb as to how much to lop off the top? I was
thinking about a foot off of each one for now.

- I live in Canada (Toronto) where we get some cold winters if that
makes a difference.


Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

Dirk Puslich wrote:

Hello,

A month ago I had a cedar hedge planted in my backyard.
They are about 6.5 to 7 feet in height right now but are kind of
scrawny.

Over the years I want them to first bush out more, then grow higher.

I was told by a friend that when you trim the tops, it makes the new
growth come out to the sides more and not get too woody, and nce they
are bushy enough then you can let them grow higher.

I have 3 questions, assuming this is right:

1) What time of year should the tops of the cedars be lopped off
(Fall? Spring? mid Summer?) Just once per year??

2) Given that they were just planted in mid September, should I wait a
while before I take the hedge trimmers to them, so as not to stress
them too much, or is it OK to trim them now?

3) Is there a rule of thumb as to how much to lop off the top? I was
thinking about a foot off of each one for now.

- I live in Canada (Toronto) where we get some cold winters if that
makes a difference.


Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

You can prune these shrubs at any time of year. Trimming a foot off at
this point wouldn't be a problem and there is no need to wait. Most
shrubs would not want to be trimmed now as this would stimulate new
growth which wouldn't have a chance to "harden off" before winter. The
cedars won't care though. Long term you will probably want to trim them
twice per year to keep them looking well maintained.

The most important thing to consider is to make sure that the root
system has lots of water in it at freeze-up. As a general rule cedars
like it wet all year round.

Peter H

The most important thing to consider is to make sure that the root
system has lots of water in it at freeze-up. As a general rule cedars
like it wet all year round.


Right, they naturally grow in swamps so they like lots of water.

If I had just planted a row of them I would probably be more concerned
about making sure that they are mulched at the base for the first year
to help them with the winter freezing and then to hold the water
better in the summer. After that they are not that fussy. Most of them
will do okay if you do nothing but if you have a whole row and dont
take a little extra care the first year one or more may get a lot
die-back but still live. That will stagger their growth for a couple
years and make them look wimpy compared to the others. So, I still
think extra care to mulch the first year is worth it. Maybe it is just
the Maine climate/ ice age.

Similarly, I planted a row of privet for a hedge. They take a couple
years to establish and then you spend all your time cutting them down
after that. Because they require so little care in the long run it is
easy to forget that that in northern areas they can get wacked down by
the winter if you dont hold their hand a little the first year. I had
a couple die back to the ground and then throw up new growth so I
never replaced them but when you only have three months of growing
season a year it really gets you out of sync if that happens.

Also, more than other evergreens, those cedars will brown out on you
in the winter and then recover their color in the spring. Its just the
way they are. Doesnt mean they are dying or anything, in case you are
not familiar with them.

Dennis

Thanks for your help everyone.


(Winter) wrote in message om...
The most important thing to consider is to make sure that the root
system has lots of water in it at freeze-up. As a general rule cedars
like it wet all year round.


Right, they naturally grow in swamps so they like lots of water.

If I had just planted a row of them I would probably be more concerned
about making sure that they are mulched at the base for the first year
to help them with the winter freezing and then to hold the water
better in the summer. After that they are not that fussy. Most of them
will do okay if you do nothing but if you have a whole row and dont
take a little extra care the first year one or more may get a lot
die-back but still live. That will stagger their growth for a couple
years and make them look wimpy compared to the others. So, I still
think extra care to mulch the first year is worth it. Maybe it is just
the Maine climate/ ice age.

Similarly, I planted a row of privet for a hedge. They take a couple
years to establish and then you spend all your time cutting them down
after that. Because they require so little care in the long run it is
easy to forget that that in northern areas they can get wacked down by
the winter if you dont hold their hand a little the first year. I had
a couple die back to the ground and then throw up new growth so I
never replaced them but when you only have three months of growing
season a year it really gets you out of sync if that happens.

Also, more than other evergreens, those cedars will brown out on you
in the winter and then recover their color in the spring. Its just the
way they are. Doesnt mean they are dying or anything, in case you are
not familiar with them.

Dennis