Properly Cut Clusia Hedge Tips & Tricks For Beginners.

[@victorrippe5845]

We have tons of crusia hedges here in Florida I used to trim them with a Machete but they would just get thicker and thicker and had to be trimmed every month and I started trimming them with hedge trimmers and they hold up a lot longer without needing to be trimmed and they come out crisp but there is a catch not all hedge trimmers work for this Echos and Stihl blade system is not sharp enough the only trimmers that trim them nice and crisp are the Maruyama Husqavarna and Redmax there extended hedge trimmer blades are sharp as can be oh and if you can find a Kawasaki extended hedge trimmer those also trim Crusias really good and also Tanaka had a good blade system but there discontinued

[@Carrera.roberto]

Good Info no more scissors no more white liquid stain

[@geemama420]

Thank you for the tip with covering up I’m allergic to the mangoe sap I literally get poison ivy rash! I imagine it’s similar 😮 love the machete way!

[@Greenergroundslawnservice]

Oh yes! The mango sap! My first summer working I was doing mango pick up, and it got all over my face, I had incessant itching on my face for 3 days. It got swollen and all red!

[@rootelation486]

No machete......pruner or loppers.....I don't want any of my leaves cut. I trim them myself because the landscape company insists on making clusias look like alligators tried them for a snack and didn't like them.

[@Greenergroundslawnservice]

Everybody has a look they prefer, some like it wild some like it boxy. If landscaping companies charged for pruner or loopers it would be pretty pricey because it is a longer process

[@maureenbaker1163]

Same! we must have same landscape company. The ragged edges ughhhhh 🐊

[@rootelation486]

@@Greenergroundslawnservice that's why I do it myself. I spend a whole 6 minutes on a 12 ft tall clusia....I have 2.....

[@nuviadominguez11]

I was waiting to see the part where you show how to use the machete. I just planted these plants as shrubs for the front of my small townhome. I have never used a machete and I am afraid I will ruin the plant.

[@Greenergroundslawnservice]

I have a clusia job coming up I’m going to film, and post with best practices with the machete because it can be daunting

[@MorenitoJ]

thank you

[@cobaltblue15]

Whats the best way to trim/even up the top of these?

[@Greenergroundslawnservice]

I also use a machete for the top, I got on top of a ladder and swing outwards, never inwards

[@ChristopherHardy-c2e]

Yes I tried electric first and it just hacked them up, all I have read says hand clippers but man that will take forever. Didn’t realise how big these grow when I bought them!! I thought machete would be bad for the leaves also? Is there and electric clipper that works for these besides spending hours hand clipping?

[@Greenergroundslawnservice]

Machete isn’t bad for the leaves, it makes clean cuts so long as it’s sharp, the electric clippers due to the nature of the way the clipping mechanism works, it just chews up the plant and that’s what truly damages. And because of the maintenance and manual labor is the reason trimming and maintaining Clusia is a hefty price

[@scottwelsh1049]

Thanks, how often do these require this level of pruning you did here? We're about to install about 50 of them along our property line.

[@Greenergroundslawnservice]

It’s recommended you get them pruned at least quarterly, but you can easily get away with cutting it every 6 months. It all depends how often you want it clean up and look nicely :)

[@scottwelsh1049]

@@Greenergroundslawnservice great, I appreciate it. How long was it between cuttings in this particular video?

[@Greenergroundslawnservice]

@@scottwelsh1049 this is a relatively new client and it is the first trim I did at the property. Prior to my trim it had been probably 6 months there was a lot of growth

[@rickchapman2733]

They get very tall so be prepared for that. Can be tough to do on your own without a tall ladder and proper trimmer.

[@tomgarda]

I am not keen to use a machete, if I use a new Ego electric hedge trimmer and keep it sharp will that damage the plant?

[@Greenergroundslawnservice]

The thing with the hedge trimmers if you look at how the blades move, that motion will chew up the leaves from the Clusia. No matter how sharp it is, you’ll likely chew up as many leaves as it’ll cut. So overall, the plant will likely release more sap which will cause more yellowing and browning of leaves than necessary.

[@tomgarda]

@@Greenergroundslawnservice thank you

[@cwotes6925]

How much do you charge for that

[@Greenergroundslawnservice]

Every job is different, there are variables as to how tall they are, how much they need to be cut down, how wide is it, how long the hedge is, so all those factors go into the price

[@rayhollerrr]

How wide can clusia can be grown? I want to grow them along the fence but I don’t want it to grow 2-3 feet away from the fence and loose property

[@Greenergroundslawnservice]

Understandable, Clusia can grow up to 10-12 feet wide at maturity if it is like never cut. However trimming it quarterly or even every 6 months to keep it looking how you want :)

[@rayhollerrr]

@@Greenergroundslawnservice thank you for your quick reply! If you would choose, clusia or podocarpus, which one would you go with? I have my neighbors lake view fence and I want to grow a hedge along side it but do not want to lose property

[@victorrippe5845]

My recommendation don’t even plant these trees specially if you have a septic tank the root system grows into septic tanks have been seeing a lot of my clients having these issues I think they are a terrible plant and the maintenance is costly to maintain we charge $120 per hour to trim them.

[@therealnazareth]

But won’t the leafs chopped scar?

[@Greenergroundslawnservice]

All leaves will scar, but a clean cut is a speedy recovery and less seepage from the plant. A machete cut, is less stressful to the plant than hedge trimmers

[@techniciana1843]

Shoot..ive been using the same hedge trimmer on mine for 6+ years..they just laugh at the cut leaves. Besides..a lot safer than swinging a blade

[@Greenergroundslawnservice]

Safer sure, but with technique and experience a blade is just as safe. Kudos to you, for actually doing the work! Not many people wanna sweat a little