Hedge Trimming in the Fall?

[roscioli]

Hey northerners like me: Do you guys trim hedges in the fall or only in the spring? I have a few customers who need it, but I have heard that it can damage the bushes and/or prevent it from flowering the next spring, is this true? Please help, so I can decide whether or not to make some money this fall... for a change, haha!

[roscioli]

and yes, I did the search :)

[wallzwallz]

it's fine to prune in fall, just avoid pruning spring flowering bushes like azaleas+ rhodies etc.,prune these right after bloom in spring.A lot of cutomers like evergreens done in fall,close to 6 months of shaped bush w/out growth

[lawnboy82]

get the big dirr book- it should say in there when to prune. there are some plants you prune in the spring, others you prune in the summer, others in fall, and others during different parts of winter. get the book- if you go to the campus book store it will be in there for i think like 60 or 70 dollars.

[mdb landscaping]

i usually trim bushes twice a year for my customers. once in the spring, and once around now. they are mostly bushes, so im not sure about flowering plants.

[grassyfras]

Just tell them you can trim them and make them look good because they look really shaggy right now and trim the things and make money to put food on the table.

[Loosestrife]

When to prune depends on:

1. The type and species of plant
2. The last time that it was pruned
3. The customers desired result.
4. Overall health of the plant.
5. Overall growth of the plant.

Proper pruning is not just taking gasoline powered hedge shears and shaping the plant. There is much more to it.

[fivestarlawnken]

As my general rule if i do any pruning in the summer, it is a light pruning. This is to help the plant so it dosent stress the plant too much.We all have our diff. ideas.:rolleyes:

[GroundKprs]

Any cutting on a woody plant causes new growth below the cut. If pruned or or sheared in August or September in northern climate, this new growth may not have time to harden off properly before winter sets in, and be susceptable to winter injury - this makes for an ugly plant in the spring, and more work to prune out the dead shoots. Pruning in October and later will not cause new growth, since plants are going into storage mode and then into dormancy.

Exceptions? Definitely: privet hedges! In our area they need to be done 3 to 5 times a year, even more if in a prominent location. Since you are going to shear them constantly, and they grow so fast, winter damage can just be sheared off early in spring.