The one thing about spring cutbacks is that everyone does the process a little bit differently. People have different preferences for timing, tools, and cleanup depending on project goals and your preferences. Read these recommendations from the staff at Northcreek Nurseries.
What Tool to Use
A tri-blade attachment on a string trimmer is a much more durable than higher gauge plastic string and it is especially effective on small weedy trees that may have opportunistically settled into plantings. Trim the plant material to about 8-12" inches, rake up the material from the gardens and stack it in a loose heap in our compost area.
In more natural areas such as, tall and mid-height meadows, and vegetation surrounding our constructed wetland—the material is trimmed and the largest brush is collected for the mulch pile while the rest is left to decompose in place.
Other styles of cut backs
Companies and people can perform spring cut backs differently. Tools people use include brush mowers, mulching mowers, or by hand using pruners. The price of each of these tools varies with a new brush mower costing about $2,800 while pruners will set you back about $60. String trimmers with blade attachments are a cost-effective route, balancing how much the investment for the tool costs, how adaptable the tool is to a variety of uses, and the cost of labor hours.
If you are amenable to leaving debris, leave hollow-stemmed perennial stubble at varying heights of about 8-24" up for the rest of the spring. Solitary bees and wasps lay eggs and hibernate in these structures. The stubble will soon be covered by the perennials and grasses as they grow in spring and summer, hiding the stubble. For the debris that was cut, either make an out of the way brush pile or to mow it and then use it as a mulch in place for the garden bed. It is a great way to suppress cool season weeds, add fertility to the soil, and allow wildlife to have shelter and food.
However, there are places in which leaving debris is not an option. In that case, cut perennials and grasses close to the ground, raking them up, and taking it away to stack loosely in a heap or a compost pile. A loose heap of this material is prime insect and small animal habitat and the material can be turned later in the growing season.
The "completely cut back to the ground and remove debris" method is usually used by those with a desire to have a highly-managed landscape.
When to to Spring Cutbacks
The optimal time to perform cutbacks is in early spring, just as plants wake up. This gives maximum time for wildlife to use the area as shelter and as a food source but isn't so late that you're cutting the tips of warm season grasses as they're actively growing.
Realistically, however, cut back timing depends on your preference, your available labor hours, and how many other projects you need to complete throughout the early spring window. Understanding the limitations that those who manage gardens face, late winter cutbacks are preferable to cutting back plant material before December from a wildlife habitat perspective.
Variability abounds and finding the right way to perform cut backs for your garden project needs will be based on factors like timing, your preference, local laws, and your stamina..
In wild or natural areas, no cutbacks are required except perhaps when a property performs a controlled burn to rejuvenate prairie species and to get rid of invasive plant material. Other properties may require a very high level of care and management and will need to do yearly cutbacks, early in the season, to meet your taste or local municipality ordinance. Whatever the job, garden management styles can be tailored to meet the demand.