Why trim Hedges:
There are three big reasons to trim your hedges. First, repeated trimming trains the plants the same way your hair gets trained by being combed the same way over and over. Second, we improve the health of the plant by trimming off dead sections that can invite insects or disease into the rest of the plant. Third, believe it or not, trimming hedges actually encourages them to grow.
When to trim:
The best time to trim your hedges in the late winter or early spring, before growth has started. The hedge is …show more content…
Also, don't trim in late summer, or the hedge may start a new round of growth that will leave it weak when winter hits, possibly killing the plant.
To Trim or Prune:
This section is for appearance only. Trimming is faster and easier than pruning when it comes to hedges, so if that takes priority for you then feel free to trim all the time. But if you want the best look, follow this advice...
Hedges can be made out of lots of different types of plants. So look at the size of the leaf to determine if you need to prune individual branches or if you can use something faster like electric hedge trimmers.
If the leaf size is larger than a quarter, then prune individual branches. If it's smaller, trim. Larger leaves will cut along with the branches with a trimmer, and these half leaves are ugly. The cut leaf will likely die, but it won't really put the whole plant in any danger. So again, this one is personal preference.
How to trim your hedges:
Trim the sides first and give them a mild slope. In other words, make sure the bottom is wider than the top. If you don't, the upper leaves and branches will keep the sunlight from reaching the lower leaves and eventually, the lower limbs will die. This will leave you with hedges that are thin on the