Hand trimming is the best method of trimming and pruning newly planted or newly laid hedges, which produce soft whippy growth that can be easily torn by a flail. Hand trimming allows selective pruning of growth, and can be combined with a careful check of the hedge for weeds, failed hedge plants or other problems. Flail trimming should be started after about three years, when the growth has become sufficiently sturdy to withstand it. Hand trimming can be done with secateurs, shears or a trimming hook.
Hand trimming is also used for trimming established hedges on small conservation sites and wildlife gardens. Shears should be used for annual trimming, with secateurs or loppers needed for heavier growth. Billhooks and slashers were traditionally used for hand trimming of farm hedges, but should only be used by people competent in handling them, and a safe working distance from other people must be kept. Powered hedge-trimmers can also be used, but should only be operated by persons trained in their use.
Keep in mind the following points:
- Tools must be very sharp. Don’t wear a glove on the hand holding an edged tool, and keep a safe working distance from other people. Clean tools after use to remove sap and debris, and oil lightly before storing.
- Most hedgers recommend cutting with an upward stroke of the slasher or billhook. This produces a clean cut, less likely to fray and peel back the bark than if you cut down. Some hedgers recommend an oblique upward cut for restoring a hedge which has been regularly trimmed, but an oblique downward cut for a hedge which is already correctly shaped through previous annual trimmings. The idea is that, done regularly, downward cutting encourages downward growth and within two or three years produces a thick, resilient stockproof skirt around the sides of the hedge.
- Trim in towards a gap from either side to help new growth come in and close it.
