How Do I Prune A Tricolour Beech?

The scientific name for tricolour beech is Fagus sylvatica. It can grow upto a height of 25-40 feet and it has elliptical wavy edged leaves which are purple in colour and tinged with white and pink. It likes spreading out and the tree's bark is silvery and smooth. The bark is used for making toys, cookware, furniture and tool handles.

Beech grows slowly so it doesn't need much pruning but as it does not produce secondary buds it is important to take care that the internodes don't get too long. Pruning is of four types. They are pinching, thinning, shearing and rejuvenating. The first type is called pruning which involves removing the stem tips. As a result of this the tree branches more and if this pruning is done early on then severe pruning is not required later.

Thinning involves removing the branch back to the trunk. Due to this type of pruning the plant opens up more and the inner branches get more light and air circulation so that plant diseases are prevented. The best way to thin is to remove the dead branches.

Shearing includes using shears to level the surface of the shrub. Rejuvenating is removing old branches and overall reduction in size to get back the tree to its original size.