What to do if mountains of branches pile up after the tree has been cut? The solution to the puzzle is a garden shredder that shreds clippings from hedges and trees into small wood chips. Various models are available to choose from. Find out here what and how you can effortlessly shred branches.
Which device is suitable for shredding branches?
To shred branches, you can either use a blade shredder for fresh shrub cuttings and mulch production or a roller shredder for dry, hard wood. Pay attention to protective clothing and equipment safety when shredding.
Which device can shred branches?
With a garden shredder, the problem of disposing of clippings dissolves into valuable mulch. Blade shredders or roller shredders effortlessly shred branches and reduce the volume of green waste by 75 percent. The shredded shrub cuttings are useful as a free alternative to bark mulch, serve as winter protection for patio plants or help with composting.
Knife shredder or roller shredder? – Differences in a nutshell
The cutting technology makes the difference between knife shredders and roller shredders. So that you make the right purchase decision, the following information provides a compact overview of the functionality, advantages and disadvantages of common garden shredders for the hobby garden:
Shredding knife shredder with knife discs
A rapidly rotating flywheel, peppered with sharp knives, shreds the filled branches in no time. Loads of wood chips fall into the collecting basket for natural use in the garden.
- Advantages: primarily suitable for fresh shrub cuttings, inexpensive to purchase, produces high-quality mulch
- Disadvantages: high level of noise, noticeable blade wear, entry-level devices block on thick branches
Roller shredder shredding with crushing technology
This garden shredder works with a slowly rotating roller and pressure plate. Filled branches are shredded and crushed in one go.
- Advantages: quiet, ideal for dry, hard wood and thick branches, chopped material rots quickly
- Disadvantages: heavyweight device, not suitable for wet branches, shredded material cannot be used as mulch
With the innovative AXT 25 TC model (€495.00 at Amazon), Bosch presents the golden mean between knife shredders and roller shredders. The sophisticated turbine cutting system is based on a slow, whisper-quiet roller whose extra-sharp cutting edges shred the branches. A good choice for hobby gardeners with large gardens, as the turbine shredder can handle up to 230 kilograms of clippings per hour and shreds branches with a diameter of up to 45 millimeters.
How do you shred branches correctly?
Safety is key when you shred branches correctly. Razor-sharp knives or grinding rollers cannot tell whether they are chopping branches or fingers. Please note these important instructions when using the garden shredder:
- Protective equipment: Wear hearing protection, safety glasses, work gloves, sturdy shoes and protective clothing
- Stability: Place the garden shredder on firm, level ground
- Fill branches in a controlled manner: hold long branches up to the edge of the filler neck so that they don't whip like whips
- Emergency shutdown: If the cutting unit is clogged, always switch off the shredder first
Children and pets are not allowed in the garden while the shredder is in operation.
Tip
Specialist retailers offer knife shredders and roller shredders in various performance classes. In a normal hobby garden, an AC device with 220 volts masters the tasks set with flying colors. Hobby gardeners with a high volume of clippings from fruit trees or large hedges use a high-voltage shredder with 380 volts or a shredder with a gasoline engine.
