How to Trim Shrubs & Hedges Professionally
- 1). Select pruning utensils that are clean, disinfected and sharp. Shears can carry disease and pests from one plant to the next. Dull instruments bruise and damage limbs and make the healing process take longer. The longer the healing process takes, the more susceptible the plant is to disease and pests.
- 2). Trim formal hedges back by one-third of the plant's total growth in the first year. This encourages low branching. Prune shrubs and informal hedges using scissor-action hand shears to eliminate rubbing branches, to give the plant an open look and to encourage new growth. Make these cuts 1/4 inch away from the next node of the limb. Remove dead limbs.
- 3). Use stakes and lines to mark the shape of box-shaped formal hedges. For example, to mark a short, straight hedgerow, insert the stakes at the four corners of your row. The distance you places these stakes from the plant indicates how far into the plant you want to trim.
- 4). Tie your lines between these stakes to give you a visual guide of where you wish to cut. Tie one line to the stakes a few inches from the ground. This line should be the exact same distance from the ground on all four stakes and in between. Keep these lines taut. Tie an upper line to indicate how low into the plants you will trim. This upper line should be the exact same distance from the lower line on all four stakes and in between.
- 5). Prune the shrubs according to your line guides using hedging shears. The "wall" created by the upper and lower line indicates the side face of the box you will cut. The "wall" created by the top lines is the top face of the box. The combination of the guides and accurate measuring create a professional-looking hedge. Each subsequent year, cut back half of the new growth until the desired size is achieved.
Source...