Tree and Shrub Care

After years of continual development and testing, WOLF-Garten Cutting Tools have evolved into a selection of tools that are precise, easy to use, comfortable and long lasting. Craftsmanship and attention to details like wrist straps on all our pruners, wear resistant bearings, flat screws that won’t scar your tree and cutting blades made from premium steel are a few of the reasons WOLF-Garten cutting tools are used by professionals and gardeners in over 64 countries.

WOLF-Garten cutting tools have proprietary steel that has a longer blade life and sharpness. The steel is precision ground with non-stick coating to give you the easiest cut possible and promote healthy growth of your plants.

It should be obvious that good pruners and loppers provide a clean cut to preserve trees, hedges, bushes - and makes light work for the gardener. Precision cuts prevent unnecessary injuries to the plant, and hands that are free of repetitive strain or blisters to insure the enjoyment of garden work. WOLF-Garten manufactures cutting tools of upmost quality that lie snugly in your hand:

• WOLF-Garten has perfect solutions down to the last detail, for ergonomic, untiring use, with German steel sharpness and innovative, indestructible technology matched to every hand size and every task in your garden.
• WOLF-Garten designs hedge trimmers, loppers, and pruners which are tailor made for precise work. Bypass or anvil technology? The choice is yours. High up? No problem with telescopic handles. Thick branch? Long lever, short work. Shaped cut? A perfect trim.
• WOLF-Garten products are the finest tools available. The red & yellow color of WOLF-Garten is the sign of Masterful Products in every respect. We are confident you will enjoy WOLF Garten products.

 
WOODY PLANT CARE
 
The correct time for cutting woody plants are best undertaken in late spring. Woody plants must be trimmed in a specific way: For the rejuvenation of old trees and shrubs and for the cultivation of young trees and shrubs, to give shape to a hedge or a curved section, to remove dead or infected wood or to provide impetus for the growth of blooms and fruit. Not every woody plant needs to be trimmed to retain strength and health. The frequency and type of cut depend basically upon the individual type of plant involved and it is therefore recommended that you find out in detail about the growth characteristics of the woody plants in your own garden to make sure that you do not achieve the opposite of what the cut was intended for.
 
For example, many evergreen plants only need to be cut back occasionally and other well formed woody plants can be left untrimmed for longer periods during their growth. Valuable decorative woody plants such as magnolia and hamamelis can suffer damage rather than benefit from too frequent cutting.

Late summer blossoming shrubs such as Buddleia davidii, Hydrangea paniculata, Spiraea and Potentilla need a frequent expert cut-back - as do frequent flowering types of roses - to develop the annual show of blooms. Spring is the best time to give impetus to the plants to produce compact growth. A radical cut-back to knee height will benefit - after several years of untrimmed free growth - for example hazelnut (Corylus avellana) und Forsythia. Flowering gorse (Cytisus and Genista) can become very elderly in just a few years if it is not cut back after every flowering. Whilst deciduous trees are trimmed in autumn and winter, spring-flowering plants such as lilac should be trimmed after they have flowered in late spring. Dead and frost-damaged wood can in fact be cut away at any time, but they are best detected in spring and summer.

It is particularly important for successful trimming to have a sharp blade: Only sharp cuts will heal quickly. In frayed cuts from blunt knives diseases and fungal infections can hide and weaken the plant. Also the exact application of the tool is of paramount importance: Always cut above a healthy joint. When removing an entire branch you should apply the cutter just above the branch ring.

Ten golden rules for pruning woody plants:
There are a few things to take note of when pruning woody plants. Here, we will provide tricks and tips that will ensure long enjoyment of your trees and shrubs.

1. Prune trees regularly
2. Do not prune at temperatures below -19°F (-7°C)
3. Only use secure ladders and sharp tools that are in perfect condition, and wear closely-fitting clothes
4. Remove all dead and diseased wood, as well as all mummified fruit (withered, fungus-infected fruit on the trees that are mostly already bare). Disinfect the tool with alcohol when moving from a diseased to a healthy part of the tree
5. Take note: Cutting back lightly produces little sprouting; cutting back severely results in vigorous sprouting
6. Rigorously form and maintain the desired crown shapes

• Cut the weakest lead branch first; align the stronger ones to it
• Train the lead branches at the correct angle to the tree
• Accentuate the lead branches of apple, pear and stone fruits on a strongly growing base

Always subordinate fruit-bearing branches and fruit wood to the lead branches

Always care for renewable, young fruit wood and remove old, worn-out fruit wood

Don't forget: Check trunks and wound treatment

Observe how the tree responds to pruning, note the reaction and take this knowledge into account at the next cut

 
Spring pruning:
Every season calls for special pruning work. In spring it is mainly bushes, shrubs and herbs, which demand a fine cutting tool.

The following garden plants will benefit from a spring prune:

• Early bloomers such as forsythia and kerria japonica should be cut back once they have bloomed
• Prune clematis category 1 as required
• Shape box and cypress hedges
• Prune berry trees and bushes
• Train newly planted privet and hawthorn bushes
• Cut back hydrangeas and withered bushes from the previous year (if this has not already been done in autumn)
• Prune roses to remove any dead branches (if not already done in spring)

 
Clean Summer Cutting
For every withered blossom that you remove before they have formed seeds, the plant sprouts a new one. For as long as they are unable to form seeds, they continue to produce more new blossoms to ensure their reproduction. Cutting also encourages bushes to continue to bloom and rejuvenate. But take care with slow-growing varieties such as the Japanese maple, star magnolia or witch hazel: do not cut these. If you have a lot of cutting to do, our battery-powered shears will be a help to you.

Cutting work in summer:

• Cut back deciduous early-flowering varieties such as ranunculus bushes or forsythia after they have bloomed, if this has not already happened in May
• Take cuttings just below a leaf node and put into the soil
• Cut back rows of stone fruit
• Cut back rambling roses after they have bloomed
• Harvest herbs, twigs and blooms for freezing, drying or tea blends
• Cut back Chinese wisteria in the summer or in February/March
• Nurture shaped hedges
• Shape newly planted hawthorn and privet bushes
• Do not cut out wilting blooms such as rhododendrons and camellias; just pluck them out with your fingers

Autumn Pruning Tips
Whether pruning roses, wood, fruit trees or removing withered blossoms and dead branches the sutumn months require a good cutting tool with which you can effortlessly direct the growth of plants in the next year. Intelligent technology ensures a true "wow" effect when cutting. Loppers from WOLF-Garten translate the energy used into maximum cutting power. Built-in, shock absorbing rubber buffers combined with ergonomically padded grips and light aluminum tubes offer a high degree of comfort when cutting and also protect the hand joints.

Practical tip: never cut when it is frosty!

The cooler fall season is favorable for cutting wood because there are fewer fungal spores in the air, considerably reducing the risk of infestation. However, it is vital that you only cut when there is no frost. At under 19°F (-7°C), the wood sustains damage, not to mention splintering and frozen branches can also cause injuries.
 

The Most Effective Winter Cut
Not many plants have to be cut back during the cold months. However, for berries and some other summer flowering bushes winter is exactly the right time.

Which plants need a winter cut?

• Berries such as raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries and redcurrants, Cutting back: December – March
• Low summer-flowering bushes such as summer lilac, hydrangeas, hibiscus and bluebeard, Cutting back: February – March
• Clematis from cutting categories 2 and 3, which bloom in late summer, Cutting back: November – December
• Wisteria - Cutting back: February – March