Firethorn as a hedge »Important information on cultivation and care

The planting

The firethorn thrives well in water-permeable Topsoil and prefers a full sun. Put a drainage layer of gravel in the planting holes, as the wood reacts to too much water with root rot. The optimal planting distance is thirty centimeters for cut hedges. If you are planning a hedge with natural growth, the distance may be a meter or more.

Watering and fertilizing

The firethorn hedge requires little maintenance. Since the firethorn is deep-rooted, it only needs to be watered occasionally during longer dry periods. In this case, flood the plant penetratingly. The firethorn rewards a fertilizer with nitrogenous fertilizers in spring with a rich set of flowers and fruits. Fully ripe compost or organic fertilizer.

Cut the firethorn

The firethorn is easy to cut. Without pruning, the wood usually grows a bit sparse and reaches heights of up to six meters

. Without a regular cut, the firethorn tends to grow top-heavy and gradually collapse ugly.

This is how you can cut the hedge

Therefore, shorten the long shoots without branches with a sharp rose or Loppers a. As this stimulates them to sprout again, the young plants grow faster into a dense and even hedge. Give the firethorn hedge a slightly round contour so that more light can penetrate into the interior. You can alternatively use the electric hedge for slightly larger hedges Hedge trimmer(€ 77.00 at Amazon *) to get in shape.

Cut time

Early spring, beginning of March, is the right time for heavy pruning. In June or July, when the pretty umbels have faded and the shrub is just beginning to produce fruit, you can make minor corrective prunings. Do not cut off all the flowers in order to preserve sufficient food reserves for birds.

Always cut the hedge on cloudy days or in the evening. Hedges cut in the blazing midday sun suffer sunburn on the young leaves, which weakens the trees. From September onwards you should no longer cut back so that the wood can mature well before the first frosts.

Variety choice

Unfortunately, some species of firethorn are prone to fire blight and scabs. In addition, not all firethorn species are fully winter hardy. When choosing, pay attention to resistant varieties that even longer periods of frost cannot harm.

Tips & Tricks

The firethorn with its dense spines is used by many rare bird species as a protected place of refuge from enemies such as cats or martens. Be considerate of breeding birds when cutting and do not disturb the animals if possible.