Planting a hedge help
Discussion
I have ordered a bare root native hedge from hedgesdirect. Have 750 bare roots coming next month. This is to go around the current boundary at the very bottom of our garden, which is currently just post and rail fence.
The ground under the post and rail fence is grass, I have been keeping it very short in preparation for planting. I will be planting roughly 6 per metre, in a staggered fashion, either side of the fence (yes I have permission).
My question is, how is the best way to plant. I have read up on all sorts of ways from trenches, to slots etc.
We are on fairly heavy clay, so trench digging would be a fair task, cutting a slot in the ground with a spade and planting each behind the spade may prove to be the quickest, but as on clay, may have an increased chance of failures. Another option is to hire a post hole auger, and make 750 6 inch diameter shallow holes, and back fill with topsoil, of which I appreciate I would need a lot! this then also sorts the issue of grass near the young plant.
Am I overthinking this, what is the consensus from people who have done this? All help and advice appreciated.
The ground under the post and rail fence is grass, I have been keeping it very short in preparation for planting. I will be planting roughly 6 per metre, in a staggered fashion, either side of the fence (yes I have permission).
My question is, how is the best way to plant. I have read up on all sorts of ways from trenches, to slots etc.
We are on fairly heavy clay, so trench digging would be a fair task, cutting a slot in the ground with a spade and planting each behind the spade may prove to be the quickest, but as on clay, may have an increased chance of failures. Another option is to hire a post hole auger, and make 750 6 inch diameter shallow holes, and back fill with topsoil, of which I appreciate I would need a lot! this then also sorts the issue of grass near the young plant.
Am I overthinking this, what is the consensus from people who have done this? All help and advice appreciated.
Tree planting spade, rock it forward and backwards, take it out turn 90 degrees and repeat. You should have a good enough hole then. Drop in and heel.
The above being what I plan to do with about 2000 this year if I can find the time. I already own a petrol auger and won't be using it for that!
Don't forget to prune to encourage lateral/base growth.
The above being what I plan to do with about 2000 this year if I can find the time. I already own a petrol auger and won't be using it for that!
Don't forget to prune to encourage lateral/base growth.
I haven’t planted a continuous hedge but I have planted many medium sized shrubs and trees, and plants of all sizes.
In general, particularly with bare root and particularly with clay, you will want the ground broken up as much as possible so the roots don’t face resistance in their attempt to bed in.
With that number to plant, I’d be inclined to hire a digger (&driver) for the day and get them to break the ground all the way along you want to plant in a reasonably wide trench, then backfill it.
Then when you come to plant, the soil will be easy to make into a hole then insert the root, backfill and press down. Will also aid water getting to the roots.
Give the nascent hedge lots of water during the first year. A couple of good drenches a week is best.
In general, particularly with bare root and particularly with clay, you will want the ground broken up as much as possible so the roots don’t face resistance in their attempt to bed in.
With that number to plant, I’d be inclined to hire a digger (&driver) for the day and get them to break the ground all the way along you want to plant in a reasonably wide trench, then backfill it.
Then when you come to plant, the soil will be easy to make into a hole then insert the root, backfill and press down. Will also aid water getting to the roots.
Give the nascent hedge lots of water during the first year. A couple of good drenches a week is best.
PhilboSE said:
In general, particularly with bare root and particularly with clay, you will want the ground broken up as much as possible so the roots don’t face resistance in their attempt to bed in.
That's true. A pretty meaty rotavator (hired) might not be a bad alternative/option.I'm just about to do the same. 110m of 60cm whips from hedges direct of blackthorn.
We have just completed on a field next to the house and as part of the conditions is planting a hedge along one of the fence lines.
The current plan of action.
Hire a mini digger for a weekend.
Mow short the required line
Scrape back the full length using the 800mm grading bucket
Swap to the deep dig thin bucket and drag a line down the full length at the right depth creating a furrow
Drop in the bare roots at 6 pet metre and backfill by hand.
Most of the time will be adding the rabbit guards
Mine should be arriving mid/late November
Hope this helps.
We have just completed on a field next to the house and as part of the conditions is planting a hedge along one of the fence lines.
The current plan of action.
Hire a mini digger for a weekend.
Mow short the required line
Scrape back the full length using the 800mm grading bucket
Swap to the deep dig thin bucket and drag a line down the full length at the right depth creating a furrow
Drop in the bare roots at 6 pet metre and backfill by hand.
Most of the time will be adding the rabbit guards
Mine should be arriving mid/late November
Hope this helps.
E92M3STEVE said:
I'm just about to do the same. 110m of 60cm whips from hedges direct of blackthorn.
We have just completed on a field next to the house and as part of the conditions is planting a hedge along one of the fence lines.
The current plan of action.
Hire a mini digger for a weekend.
Mow short the required line
Scrape back the full length using the 800mm grading bucket
Swap to the deep dig thin bucket and drag a line down the full length at the right depth creating a furrow
Drop in the bare roots at 6 pet metre and backfill by hand.
Most of the time will be adding the rabbit guards
Mine should be arriving mid/late November
Hope this helps.
That sounds like a far more realistic plan. And means you'll also have a functional back upon completion.We have just completed on a field next to the house and as part of the conditions is planting a hedge along one of the fence lines.
The current plan of action.
Hire a mini digger for a weekend.
Mow short the required line
Scrape back the full length using the 800mm grading bucket
Swap to the deep dig thin bucket and drag a line down the full length at the right depth creating a furrow
Drop in the bare roots at 6 pet metre and backfill by hand.
Most of the time will be adding the rabbit guards
Mine should be arriving mid/late November
Hope this helps.
Best way is to dig a trench and then just back fill with the bare roots in place. If feasible then do this every time.
However, just sticking them down the back of a spade is fine but the plants do take longer to get going and you do get a higher failure rate. Plus, if you get a dry summer what you notice is that the spade slots have never closed up and they open into cracks when the soil dries out which means you can end up having to water the hedge regularly through the first summer and filling the cracks repeatedly with a Sandy soil.
Either fine. It's just a personal choice.
However, just sticking them down the back of a spade is fine but the plants do take longer to get going and you do get a higher failure rate. Plus, if you get a dry summer what you notice is that the spade slots have never closed up and they open into cracks when the soil dries out which means you can end up having to water the hedge regularly through the first summer and filling the cracks repeatedly with a Sandy soil.
Either fine. It's just a personal choice.
Acceptable failure rate versus effort (and time with physio) is the balance that has to be struck. If you're planting an orchard, you want all the trees to survive so you invest a lot of time in each. If you're planting a woodland across some hillside, then you're just going to spade and heel them in because you'll lose loads of them anyway as they mature and need thinning out. A hedge is somewhere in the middle.
We planted some spares in an unused corner, so that we can transplant them if any of the trees in our native hedge die. Gives you a bit of a insurance.
We planted some spares in an unused corner, so that we can transplant them if any of the trees in our native hedge die. Gives you a bit of a insurance.
E92M3STEVE said:
I'm just about to do the same. 110m of 60cm whips from hedges direct of blackthorn.
We have just completed on a field next to the house and as part of the conditions is planting a hedge along one of the fence lines.
The current plan of action.
Hire a mini digger for a weekend.
Mow short the required line
Scrape back the full length using the 800mm grading bucket
Swap to the deep dig thin bucket and drag a line down the full length at the right depth creating a furrow
Drop in the bare roots at 6 pet metre and backfill by hand.
Most of the time will be adding the rabbit guards
Mine should be arriving mid/late November
Hope this helps.
Does the hedge have to be stockproof? If so, you might struggle to get the stagger needed if you're using a narrow bucket (part of the stockproof nature of a good hedge comes from its thickness).We have just completed on a field next to the house and as part of the conditions is planting a hedge along one of the fence lines.
The current plan of action.
Hire a mini digger for a weekend.
Mow short the required line
Scrape back the full length using the 800mm grading bucket
Swap to the deep dig thin bucket and drag a line down the full length at the right depth creating a furrow
Drop in the bare roots at 6 pet metre and backfill by hand.
Most of the time will be adding the rabbit guards
Mine should be arriving mid/late November
Hope this helps.
Thanks for all the replies.
Yes I am ready with canes and rabbit guards
A future neighbour may want to rip it out...
I'd consider planting entirely on my land rather than straddling the boundary.It's the farmer, he is very happy for me to put a hedge there and has contributed with a bit of cash, just isn't forthcoming in offering any help unfortunately.
https://www.hedgesdirect.co.uk/blackthorn-based-60...
springfan62 said:
Use a Mycorrhizal fungi when you plant these are mutually beneficial to the tree/hedge.
Google it if you want to know more about how they work.
Yes been advised this by the hedge company, so will get some off Amazon.Google it if you want to know more about how they work.
E92M3STEVE said:
I'm just about to do the same. 110m of 60cm whips from hedges direct of blackthorn.
We have just completed on a field next to the house and as part of the conditions is planting a hedge along one of the fence lines.
The current plan of action.
Hire a mini digger for a weekend.
Mow short the required line
Scrape back the full length using the 800mm grading bucket
Swap to the deep dig thin bucket and drag a line down the full length at the right depth creating a furrow
Drop in the bare roots at 6 pet metre and backfill by hand.
Most of the time will be adding the rabbit guards
Mine should be arriving mid/late November
Hope this helps.
I'd like to do this, but not really possible so close to the fence, and lots of obstacles garden side. I am thinking the rate of failure on clay soil may be too high with the slot method, and I am far too lazy to dig the 125 meters by hand, so may compromise and do the auger method to smash the crap out of the soil and back fill with a mix of original soil and compost. I know someone mentioned they wouldn't use an auger, any particular reason why not. I guess as also mention a rotavator could work?We have just completed on a field next to the house and as part of the conditions is planting a hedge along one of the fence lines.
The current plan of action.
Hire a mini digger for a weekend.
Mow short the required line
Scrape back the full length using the 800mm grading bucket
Swap to the deep dig thin bucket and drag a line down the full length at the right depth creating a furrow
Drop in the bare roots at 6 pet metre and backfill by hand.
Most of the time will be adding the rabbit guards
Mine should be arriving mid/late November
Hope this helps.
ATG said:
Chrisgr31 said:
I’ll leave it to others to suggest how to plant. However are there deer around? If so they’ll need protection I assume otherwise the method of planting might become irrelevant!
Or squirrels or voles or rabbits. Rappy, tubey plastic things do a pretty good job.Voldemort said:
joestifff said:
...(yes I have permission)...
You have permission from the current neighbour. A future neighbour may want to rip it out...
I'd consider planting entirely on my land rather than straddling the boundary.
ukwill said:
What size are the root balls? For me that would determine my plan to plant 750 of them.
Have you confirmed the planting distance? (6 per mtr sounds like these are small plants and will never grow that big)
They are these, so obviously start small, but will get there eventually, millions of miles of them around me:Have you confirmed the planting distance? (6 per mtr sounds like these are small plants and will never grow that big)
https://www.hedgesdirect.co.uk/blackthorn-based-60...
RHS suggests 45-60cm for hawthorn rootballs. (I did 70cm with laurels on similar projects and theyre now 12-15ft tall and about 6ft wide, 5yr later).
Id suggest you'd be fine with 4 per m (in 2 rows)
If you cant use a mini digger then crack on with an augur - just make each hole is comfortably wide/deep enough - I was told to make sure the rootball had space around it to stretch out its roots (not into compacted earth).
Or maybe if you could get something like this it would make swift work of it (maybe available to hire?)
https://www.trenchbadger.co.uk/
joestifff said:
I know someone mentioned they wouldn't use an auger, any particular reason why not.
They're just really hard work to use, especially if you get a cheap one that doesn't have a cut-out if it catches.Use one when necessary for fence posts and the such like when deeper holes are needed but, when it comes to planting stuff, a spade is much more enjoyable (and quieter). Get a couple of people, and a bottle of sloe gin, and it'll be more pleasant than having an engine buzzing away all day.
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