Essential tools for pruning shrubs and hedges

With the arrival of spring, nature awakens to life and gardeners begin to prepare their home gardens and other green corners. One of the necessary tasks is trimming shrubs and hedges with shears, secateurs or pruning saws. Some shrubs require pruning at certain times of the year, while others can be pruned virtually all year round except in winter. Some willows, for example, need to be pruned several times a year, otherwise they will quickly grow into an uncontrolled jungle.

However, this often means a significant amount of waste in the form of branches. Fortunately, there are practical solutions for disposing of this waste, such as branch shredders or chippers. In this article, we'll take a look at their advantages and possible applications of shredded branches.

Both the branch shredder and the chipper are devices specifically designed to shred branches into smaller pieces. However, there are several differences between them. While shredders use knives mounted on a knife head to shred the branches, chippers shred the branches using a gear head. Both solutions have their advantages and disadvantages. The blade head handles thicker branches well, but is quite noisy, and the blades need sharpening from time to time. The gear head is quiet and can pull in branches on its own, but it has limits on the diameter of branches it can cut.

However, both devices bring many benefits to gardeners and green space owners. One of the main advantages is the reduction of waste. By shredding the branches, the volume of residuals is drastically reduced, making them easier to handle and dispose of. At the same time, the shredded branches become a valuable raw material that can be used in the garden in many ways.

One of the biggest advantages of branch shredders and chippers is that the shredded branches can be used to make compost. Shredded branches decompose faster and provide valuable organic fertilizer. W composter the ideal solution is to interweave the so-called green and brown matter. This means, for example, that layers of grass cut by the lawnmower can be intermingled with layers of shredded branches in the composter. Adding cut branches to compost will provide a rich source of nutrients for plants and improve soil structure.

If you do not want to compost the cut branches, you can plant them directly in the beds. It is best to use a cultivator to perfectly mix the shreds into the soil. Organic matter helps improve soil structure. Improves soil permeability while better retaining moisture. The shredded branches contain nutrients that are gradually released as they decompose. This ensures a long-term supply of nutrients to plants.

Cut branches and shrubs can also be used as mulch. Mulching brings many benefits to the garden. Laying cut branches on the ground around plants creates a protective layer that keeps the soil moist, regulates temperature, inhibits weed growth and adds nutrients to the soil. Mulching is environmentally friendly and contributes to healthy plant growth.