Spring weather guarantees eager green fingers: 'Pruning is the hardest part'

Nature is starting to come back to life and many people are starting to feel like working in the garden again. But where do you start – and what if you don't have a garden? Gardener Jürgen Smit knows what to do.

“When it comes to fall and winter, it's better to let your garden fall. Leaves and branches fall from the trees. Many people are tempted to clean it up, but don't do it, because you're helping the animals,” Smit says on the WNL In de Kantine program on NPO Radio 1. “But when spring comes, you have to clean things up,” Smit points out, for example, as hedgehogs look for a protected place to hibernate. You may think that your garden will grow on its own, but nothing happens on its own.

Pruning rules

In short: Roll up your sleeves, and armed with a rake, pruning shears and brush, you can tackle winter moons in your garden. “You really have to shake things up and tidy up. That means you also have to prune, and that's the hardest part. According to Smit, there are two sacred rules to pruning. “The branch grows where you cut it, so you can control how the plant grows. If the branch needs to move further to the right, you should cut it to the right and the same to the left.

The other rule is that the plant or tree responds just as strongly when you prune it. “If you prune too heavily, you will see that the plant will produce a lot of branches. They will often be smooth with all the buttons. This will be heavy and will droop, but it increases the chance of the plant surviving.” Pruning the plant to an even frame, advises Smit. “Then it will sprout into short shoots and grow into a beautiful shape.”

He is afraid

Over the years, Smit has seen people working in their gardens “become more fearful.” “I see them cutting off a branch very carefully. Throw in the beech! It's always said in all these garden programs that plants die at the slightest thing. A plant doesn't really die that quickly.”

Another tip Smit wants to give to people with green fingers is to conserve compost. “Compost is great. You can have all kinds of soil life in your garden, like worms. They will eat the compost and then you will get the air in the soil. When it rains, the soil also retains moisture, and there is nothing to worry about if it becomes dry for a longer period of time.” this summer.

By the way, Smit doesn't have a garden himself. “I've been working on it all day, so I don't want to deal with it at home.”

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By: Flortje van Gemeren