Bushes require seasonally consistent maintenance to add a nice view to your garden. Trimming bushes properly at the right time will make them stay healthy and promote thicker, fuller growth.
The most common tool to take care of bushes is an electric trimmer.
Although it’s not as powerful as a petrol trimmer, an electric model is more silent, lighter, and more environmentally friendly.
This article is about how to trim bushes with an electric trimmer. The quickest way to trim a bush is to start from its bottom and work the trimmer up diagonally.
When moving the tool up, you cut the bush little by little to shape it in the form you want.
Now, let’s break down the steps!
What Are Tips To Trim Bushes Safely?
When carrying out a DIY gardening project, safety should always be the top concern.
Keeping in mind some noteworthy tips below, you would protect yourself and everyone around from unexpected injuries.
Check The Weather
Of course, no one would cut their hedges or bushes in a heavy downpour.
But even if it’s wet, though it’s not raining, you must hold up the job for the next several hours or until it’s completely dry.
Checking the weather before trimming is essential, particularly when you use an electric bush trimmer.
Electricity and water can’t mix; otherwise, you’re putting yourself at the risk of electric shock.
Wear Appropriate Gear
It’s advisable to wear appropriate protective gear when cutting bushes. They would protect you from flying detritus.
Your protection clothing should fit you snugly, be solid, and let you move freely. A thing to avoid is loose clothing as it may be entangled with the branches.
Also, it could easily snag on the blades and pose severe injury.
Besides, you should also put on non-slip, closed-toed shoes since they protect your feet from sharp debris.
Goggles, work gloves, safety glasses, and hearing protection are also necessary protective gadgets.
Clear The Area In Advance
Making the area free of stuff in advance will make sure of a clear view of bushes and get rid of any tripping hazard.
You need to remove dead leaves, broken branches, and lawn debris stuck in the shrub.
There may be toys, garden hoses or decor, and other objects that your children threw in as well.
Keeping all of them away from the blade makes the cutting process much easier.
Plus, you can have better access to the bush after picking things out as the debris no longer jam your trimmer.
Keep Safety In Mind
During the trimming, you have to keep an eye on any other activity nearby the work area. Pets and children usually run and play around the backyard.
You can ask kids to stay away from your bushes for at least 10m or tell them to play in another place for safety reasons.
Another way is to rope off the area so your pets can’t enter while you’re engrossed in the task.
What’s more, you need to check if your tool is running properly and doesn’t incur any damage.
Once you find out a problem, you’d better either call a professional repairer for help or purchase a new trimmer.
Please remember, your electric trimmer can pose unexpected injuries if it malfunctions.
Plus, before activating the machine, you need to ensure an adequate length of cable that can reach the area of work.
You can join an additional lead to the standard connection cord if it isn’t long enough.
However, you mustn’t use two extension cables at the same time to prevent them from forming a trip danger.
How To Trim Bushes With An Electric Trimmer?
After preparing the essentials, you are ready to proceed with the work. Trimming a formal bush may take some different steps to a round one, but you can do both tasks easily with the right tips.
Basic Trimming For Bushes Using An Electric Trimmer
Simple bushes trimming involves thinking of the shape you like and removing some parts of the key areas in order to get the shape.
It would be best if you apply a series of slow yet steady cuts to pruning the shrubs.
A basic trim starts at the bottom and moves up at an angle. If you just want to cut some outlying branches, then you can finish within one hour.
If you intend to conduct an overall trim, you can follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Turn the trimmer on and guide it from the bottom to the top of the bush
Gardeners call it a professional and smart-looking cut. In the end, the bottom should be larger than the top, as this shape will bring natural beauty to your lawn.
However, you can still perform the trim in a reverse way if you love a unique-shaped row of bushes.
Step 2: Remove old branches
During the process, you should also pick out dead and old branches of the bush. These branches add extra weight to your plant and ruin its shape.
They are untidy and messy as well. You’d better cut and get rid of them completely to ensure a neat-looking garden.
Step 3: Keep a decent deep for the bushes
You may trim a little deep to get a creative shape but make sure to keep your bush a depth of 6 inches at least.
If you go more than this point, you’ll expose the plain brown of the branches. You don’t want ugly bushes to ruin your green backyard, do you?
If necessary, you can cut deeper around the area which is out of sight.
Step 4: Switch the trimmer off and store it carefully
After a pass of cutting, you’ve done the basic trimming for bushes. Now, you pull the trimmer trigger to turn off the machine.
Then, clean the blade properly and provide it with good storage.
How To Shape Round Bushes?
The most common shape of bushes is a spherical shape. These round bushes get a softer vibe to them, offering a pleasant landscaping look.
They require more work, but you can still perform the task easily with some patience.
Should your bushes be a little small, a typical electric trimmer may be too large to handle the job and cause accidents.
For small-sized plants, it’s a good idea to invest in a 2-in-1 electric trimmer for easy trimming.
The process includes the following:
Remove the dead limbs using pruning shears
After picking out all those branches, the bush’s overall shape can be different, affecting the amount you’ll trim.
Believe us; you don’t want them to leave uneven bushes and change the shape after the trimming.
Cut branches
You need to cut them from the point full of green growth and cut about 2 inches at a time. Then, trim the top stems until they get the wanted height.
Next, move to the branches that are out of the top and go slightly deeper into the shrub to form a slope. Continue for half of either side of the bush.
You have to ensure the cutting is at a slight angle and start from the top.
Work your way up back to the top
You pass the trim back to the top to complete an original round shape.
Can I Trim When Bushes Are Wet?
Only if you use a gas-powered trimmer can you cut wet bushes. Or else, using an electric bush trimmer is a ‘no-no’ for bushes with leftover raindrops.
As mentioned, you should never run an electric device in these conditions because you could damage both you and the trimmer.
In case you don’t have a petrol trimmer, it’s advisable to use a cordless unit on wet bushes.
Plugging anything into an electrical outlet when nearby a wet surface may pose electrical hazards.
Once you find an appropriate trimmer, we’ve got some additional precautions for you to take notice of.
- You have to ensure the blades’ teeth are efficiently sharp as wet branches can reduce traction.
- Before trimming, you should apply some lubricant to the teeth since the water would reduce the blades’ mobility.
- You should dry the wet areas using a rag to deter as much rust as possible.
- It’s better to wear shoes featuring good traction because the wet ground is very slippery.
As following our guide to trim the bush properly, you also need to bear in mind these notes for the sake of safety.
Bottom Line
While your home says a lot about you, the landscaping represents the home. And a row of healthy bushes speaks volumes.
Regular trimming is critical to retaining year-round green bushes.
Hopefully, our simple guide on how to trim bushes with an electric trimmer can be a tiny part of your beautiful backdrop.
Happy gardening!
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