Although it is easy to care for, you should still trim the hedge. You have to pay attention to the right weather conditions to prevent brown spots or infections.
The most important things at a glance
Boxwood is popular because it is easy to shape and easy to care for. However, hobby gardeners repeatedly have to contend with pest infestation, especially with fungi or the box tree moth. Evergreen conifers are therefore a good alternative to deciduous trees.
Which book for which purpose?
There are around 70 different types of boxwood, but only a few are planted by gardeners in Germany. For low hedges slow-growing varieties such as “Suffruticosa” or “Blaue Heinz” are suitable. Although they are susceptible to the fungus Cylindrocladium buxicola, they are considered to be particularly frost hardy.
The “Buxus sempervirens” can be used universally. It serves as a hedge, but you can also plant it individually. As a solitaire “Rotundifolia” with its large round leaves is also well suited.
Propagating boxwood with seedlings
Since they grow very slowly, large box trees are comparatively expensive in the garden center. Those who shy away from the costs can easily multiply the bushes themselves using cuttings.
- In autumn, cut off a twig about ten centimeters long that is no longer very young. The bark should already be slightly brownish at the cut point.
- Remove the bottom leaves and insert the seedling into the potting soil. At room temperature without direct sunlight, the seedling will soon start to grow. You can then put it in a pot or plant it outside in spring.
- Water the boxwood thoroughly before transplanting. Then it can draw on a water supply in its roots at the new location.
- Until the bush is fully established, it needs water every day. The soil must not dry out completely during this time.
Water boxwood properly: water in winter too
The boxwood can survive for a long time even in drought – as long as it is not exposed to the blazing sun. Nevertheless, you should make sure that the root ball never dries out completely.
This also applies in winter. The evergreen plants also evaporate water through their leaves during the cold season. There is a risk of drought damage, especially in dry, sunny cold weather when there is no replenishment from the frozen ground. Then the leaves turn brown and whole shoots die off.
Hold Box trees in pots moist but not too wet. In the summer, the potted boxwood needs water every day. In winter, watering it once a week is enough.
How often should you fertilize a boxwood?
Most box trees grow very slowly. Therefore, the plant needs comparatively few nutrients – at least when it is outdoors. Then lime, iron and some horn shavings are enough. Fertilizers high in nitrogen can even increase the risk of fungal infection.
Fertilize your hedge plants in the spring, March or April, with some slow-release fertilizer. This should give her enough nutrients to grow for the next few months. late August or early September you can apply a Kalimagnesia fertilizer. A simple soil analysis shows whether you need to fertilize.
As a potted plant, the boxwood has a higher nutrient requirement. From mid-April to August you can add a little fertilizer to the irrigation water every week.
How long can you cut the boxwood?
If you don’t want to work out figures, you should still cut back the shoots from last year. Because this care cut makes the foliage denser. Dead branches must also be removed to prevent fungal diseases.
Get your boxwood in shape between March and September. Later there is a risk that the new shoots formed after the cut will no longer mature and freeze to death in time for the onset of winter. Although you can still cut the boxwood in October, this should only be a minimal intervention. Find out why here.
The best conditions for boxwood pruning are on a dry but overcast day. If it is too hot, the interfaces turn brown, if it is too wet, there is a risk of fungal attack.
In general: A boxwood cut always stimulates new growth.
types of cuts
There are different types of cuts for boxwood.
The rough cut is done before the new shoots, i.e. between March and April. It is used to correct the shape.
After the rough cut, the fine cut or shape cut can take place. The month of April is ideal for this. With him, the subtleties are worked out.
