When Should I Prune My Beech Hedge?

Keeping your Beech hedge pruned and trimmed is important, not only does pruning your hedge plants make it look tidier in your outdoor space, but it also encourages the Beech hedging to grow thicker keeping the hedge healthy. 

Figuring out when you should be pruning your Beech hedges however can be confusing, it is typically suggested that you should prune your Beech tree in the mid of summer around the second week of August so as the Beech hedge plants leaves can grow strong during the winter. 

So as we can get into further detail about when and how to prune your Beech hedge plants, we have composed a small guide below with everything you need to know.

When To Prune Your Beech Hedge Plants 

As we mentioned above, the ideal time to prune your Beech hedge is after summer growth, however, for bushier overgrown hedges the correct time might be winter. If you have types of hedge plants that are new they should be pruned at the time of transplantation. 

During the first two winter months of your new Beech hedge, you should prune and cut off the terminal growth bud with hedge trimmers, after that you can switch to late summer. 

Our Step By Step Guide To Pruning Your Beech Hedge 

Pruning your Beech hedge a couple of inches in the summer can be done easily with a hedge trimmer and will eventually result in a fuller hedge over time after the previous summer it has been pruned. 

To see the best way to prune your beech hedge we have made a step by step simple guide for you to follow below. 

• Step One - Decide which tool you are going to use to prune your Beech hedge, hedge trimmers are great for trimming with professional quality but shearers can give you more control and result in less dry leaves.
• Step Two - Use a string guide to start pruning the top sides of your Beech hedge as this is the most exposed part to the sunlight so would have grown the quickest, prune back two or three leaves depending on how much you want to cut back. 
• Step Three - Remove your prunings as you go along and rake them away with a garden fork, taper the sides too so as the lower end of the hedge is wider than the top to allow for better green growth.
• Step Four - Stand back now and check if your pruning is even and if you have missed any stray shoots on the hedgerow.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pruning a Beech Hedge

Why should I taper the edges of my Beech hedge when pruning? 

Tapering the edges of your Beech hedge during pruning allows you to increase its growth by allowing sunlight to access the bottom of the hedge without the top blocking it.

Should I use a trimmer to prune my Beech hedge? 

A trimmer will give you less control than shearers would, if you want to use a trimmer we would only recommend doing so for very thick branches.

How many times a year should I prune my Beech hedge?

Most of the time you can get away with pruning your Beech hedge once a year in late summer, however, you can also prune in June or winter for newly planted hedges.

Final Words 

To round up our Beech pruning article, pruning your Beech hedge should be done in late summer around August or September, for bushier hedges Winter might be more ideal. It's best to prune your Beech tree with shearers as you have more control and it will prevent brown leaves on the hedge.