Pruning every year guarantees that your bladderwort will delight you as a compact, shapely flowering shrub. The careful choice of timing is just as important as expert incision. These instructions will familiarize you with all aspects of the perfect pruning of a pheasant spar.
How do you cut a blister spar correctly?
The best time to cut a bladderwort is in February. Cut back last year's growth by a third or half, choosing the cutting point near an outward-facing eye. Combine the topiary with a thinning cut from the fifth or sixth year onwards.
Best time is in February
Summer-blooming, deciduous shrubs want to be pruned in late winter. In this regard, the bladder spar is no exception. A cutting date in February scores points in several ways. Primarily, you don't have to worry about destroying valuable flower buds. Furthermore, in late winter you comply with the regulations of the Federal Nature Conservation Act for tree pruning. A strict grace period to protect our endangered birdlife extends from March 1st to September 30th.
Pruning encourages bushy branching
The bubble spar invests its rapid growth rate in height growth and criminally neglects dense branching at the base of the bush. If you leave the ornamental tree uncut, you will end up with a misshapen, wind-throw-prone shrub. With a targeted pruning in late winter you can teach your pheasant spars a lesson. How to promote compact, densely branched growth:
- Blend bladder spars every year from early childhood onwards
- Cut back last year's growth by a third or half
- Select intersection point a short distance from an outward-facing eye
Starting with the fifth or sixth year of life, combine the topiary cut with a thinning cut. For this purpose, remove dead, cross-growing or otherwise unfavorably positioned shoots. In addition, cut off the two oldest ground shoots at the base to promote the growth of young scaffold shoots. Select the strongest, tightly upright shoots to replace the worn-out scaffolding shoots.
Rejuvenate old bladder spars – this is how it works
Neglected bladderworts transform within a few years into an impenetrable thicket of criss-crossing shoots. Inside the bush there is eternal twilight, so that the scaffolding shoots can no longer carry out photosynthesis and become bare. Thanks to its good-natured pruning tolerance, you can revitalize an aging pheasant spar. How to complete the perfect makeover cut:
- The best time is between November and February when the weather is frost-free
- Best cutting tool: pruning shears (€35.00 at Amazon) with bypass mechanism and folding saw
- Clear out all dead wood at the beginning
- Cut back remaining scaffold shoots by half to two thirds
- Rejuvenated bladder spars fertilize with compost and horn shavings
Following the radical pruning, the bladder spar pushes through vigorously from its sleeping eyes. You shouldn't miss this opportunity and from now on cut back the flowering bush by about a third every February and thin it out thoroughly.
Tip
Are you still missing some gorgeous bubble spars for your bed and balcony? Then you can grow a whole bunch of young plants for free. This can be done easily with cuttings, an uncomplicated version of cuttings. The perfect cutting wood is 15 to 20 cm long, leafless and woody as an annual. For rapid rooting and vigorous sprouting, there should be a bud at each end.
