When is the best time to cut elderberries? What is the right way to proceed with topiary and co.? Our tips for pruning your elder tree.
The elder is a fast-growing tree with a growth rate of 50 to 70 centimeters per year. Without targeted pruning measures, it develops into a stately bush within a few years. It can reach heights of up to seven meters. In order to keep the elder small and to ensure lush flowering and fruiting year after year, it should be pruned annually. In nature, the elder usually grows in the form of a bush. However, by consistently cutting it, you can convert it into the shape of a tree. In this article you will find out how to pruning and shaping the elderberry and when you should prune the elderberry in your garden.
You can find more information and tips about elderberry - from planting, care and propagation to different types and varieties of elderberry - in our article about elderberry.
When to cut elderberry
The right season for cutting elderberries is autumn. Pruning can be done in October after the elderberries have been harvested. But even between the end of January and the beginning of March you can still prune the elder bush or elder tree.
How to cut elderberries
Basically, when pruning elderberries, one-year-old shoots are left standing while older wood is removed. Annual shoots are thin with smooth, light gray bark. Two-year-old or older branches can be recognized by their larger diameter and a brownish, cracked and already corked bark.
Maintenance cut/trimming cut
In the fall, the removed shoots, i.e. the shoots on which the fruit was attached, are severely cut back. Only one-year-old wood is left standing for lush flowering and a rich elderberry harvest, on which many new branches and flowers can form in the following year. In theChoosing the shoots that will bear the flowers and fruit next year, choose about 10 to 12 strong annual shoots that start as low as possible at the base. This is important so that all shoots are evenly supplied with nutrients. However, should you notice a shoot in the spring that is unfavorably placed or developing poorly, you can remove it without any problems.
Topiary
In order to achieve a beautiful bush shape, the middle shoot should remain the longest shoot. The surrounding main shoots should be shortened so that you can see a slight cone shape in the upper area.
As an alternative to the classic shrub form, a young elder can also be raised to form a standard. An elder tree not only saves space, but also forms a particularly decorative element in your garden. Choose a strong shoot that has grown as straight as possible as the future trunk of your elder tree and attach it to a wooden pole, which you drive into the ground next to it as a support. Shorten the tip of the center drive a little. Below the cutting point there should be about five dormant buds from which new shoots will sprout in spring, which will later form the crown of the tree. You can see or feel the buds as slight bulges on the shoot. All side shoots below these buds are cut off close to the middle shoot. In the second year, you should cut back the approximately five crown shoots so that around four buds remain per shoot. From the third year, the crown is cut back and thinned out as in the care cut described above. The tribe is constantly freed from competitive instincts so that it can develop well.
The elderberry is very versatile and is not only visually impressive as a shrub or standard tree with its creamy-white flowers, but also forms a valuable source of food for birds with its berries. If you want to plant an elderberry in your garden, you will find all the important information in our article on the topic "Planting elderberries".