2 questions re planting hedging

countrywoman

two questions re planting bare root beech hedging -

1. is it ok to plant now, or is there a risk with the frost?

2. i am thinking of buying 2-3 ft plants, but i read on here about pruning back when planted, so i'm wondering would it be better to buy smaller plants?

hope that makes sense?

paddy147

countrywoman wrote: »

two questions re planting bare root beech hedging -

1. is it ok to plant now, or is there a risk with the frost?

2. i am thinking of buying 2-3 ft plants, but i read on here about pruning back when planted, so i'm wondering would it be better to buy smaller plants?

hope that makes sense?

1st off...make sure the bare roots are kept damp /wet the second they are taken up from the ground or out of the gardening centre.Dont let the roots dry out.;)

Id plant them now and cut/prune a good third off them aswell.:)

Also give them a good watering when they are planted.
If you can,then mix in some manure and grit where you are planting.

You can plant 3-4 per meter in a staggered/zig-zag line pattern to make for a nice full hedge in years to come.

monkeynuz

I would agree with Paddy now is perfect.

And regarding not letting the roots dry out, I can remember being told many years ago at Ag. college that more than 30-60 seconds exposed in winter/winds is enough to dry the roots and kill em, so take 'em out of the paper/bag and get them straight in the ground one by one.

Hope this helps.

M.

Coll1e

Its a good time to plant. As well as ensuring they do not dry out while planting it will help establishment if you water regularly from spring to autumn, especially in the first three years after planting. Mulching will also help retain water around the roots of the hedge on drier soils.

I disagree about cutting them back tho. Unlike planting hawthorn, blackthorn or other native hedgerow plants beech shouldn't need pruning back after planting. The only reason to cut them back would be if they were poorly branched.
For the first two years after planting you should concentrate on shortening the longer shoots and just tipping back shorter ones to encourage branching and dense growth without much loss in height. From year 3 you can start trimming the sides.

paddy147

Coll1e wrote: »

Its a good time to plant. As well as ensuring they do not dry out while planting it will help establishment if you water regularly from spring to autumn, especially in the first three years after planting. Mulching will also help retain water around the roots of the hedge on drier soils.

I disagree about cutting them back tho. Unlike planting hawthorn, blackthorn or other native hedgerow plants beech shouldn't need pruning back after planting. The only reason to cut them back would be if they were poorly branched.
For the first two years after planting you should concentrate on shortening the longer shoots and just tipping back shorter ones to encourage branching and dense growth without much loss in height. From year 3 you can start trimming the sides.

Group 2 – Stocky deciduous plants, naturally bushy at the base

For example: beech, hornbeam, hazel, Forsythia and Ribes sanguineum
Formative pruning

• On planting, cut back leading shoots and side shoots by one-third, cutting to a well placed bud
• Repeat this in the second winter to prevent straggly growth and thicken up the hedge base

Maintenance trimming

Trim annually in June (or after flowering) and again in August, clip to a shape that tapers at the top.

Citizenpain

Coll1e wrote: »

Its a good time to plant. As well as ensuring they do not dry out while planting it will help establishment if you water regularly from spring to autumn, especially in the first three years after planting. Mulching will also help retain water around the roots of the hedge on drier soils.

I disagree about cutting them back tho. Unlike planting hawthorn, blackthorn or other native hedgerow plants beech shouldn't need pruning back after planting. The only reason to cut them back would be if they were poorly branched.
For the first two years after planting you should concentrate on shortening the longer shoots and just tipping back shorter ones to encourage branching and dense growth without much loss in height. From year 3 you can start trimming the sides.

I got 400+ Beech today and got pretty much the same advise about not cutting them back.

I had planned on cutting back but in too minds now....

muckyhands

Coll1e wrote: »

Its a good time to plant. As well as ensuring they do not dry out while planting it will help establishment if you water regularly from spring to autumn, especially in the first three years after planting. Mulching will also help retain water around the roots of the hedge on drier soils.

I disagree about cutting them back tho. Unlike planting hawthorn, blackthorn or other native hedgerow plants beech shouldn't need pruning back after planting. The only reason to cut them back would be if they were poorly branched.
For the first two years after planting you should concentrate on shortening the longer shoots and just tipping back shorter ones to encourage branching and dense growth without much loss in height. From year 3 you can start trimming the sides.[/QUOTE]

paddy147 wrote: »

1st off...make sure the bare roots are kept damp /wet the second they are taken up from the ground or out of the gardening centre.Dont let the roots dry out.;)

Id plant them now and cut/prune a good third off them aswell.:)

Also give them a good watering when they are planted.
If you can,then mix in some manure and grit where you are planting.

You can plant 3-4 per meter in a staggered/zig-zag line pattern to make for a nice full hedge in years to come.

Is it just me or are you not both giving the same advice in a round about way.

'Shortening the longer shoots and just tipping back shorter ones' in 'the first two years' is pruning/cutting back, after its been planted.

'prune a good third off' is pruning/cutting back, after its been planted.

:)

Dominant leaders I would prune/ cut back by a third.

Citizenpain

muckyhands wrote: »

Coll1e wrote: »

Its a good time to plant. As well as ensuring they do not dry out while planting it will help establishment if you water regularly from spring to autumn, especially in the first three years after planting. Mulching will also help retain water around the roots of the hedge on drier soils.

I disagree about cutting them back tho. Unlike planting hawthorn, blackthorn or other native hedgerow plants beech shouldn't need pruning back after planting. The only reason to cut them back would be if they were poorly branched.
For the first two years after planting you should concentrate on shortening the longer shoots and just tipping back shorter ones to encourage branching and dense growth without much loss in height. From year 3 you can start trimming the sides.[/QUOTE]



Is it just me or are you not both giving the same advice in a round about way.

'Shortening the longer shoots and just tipping back shorter ones' in 'the first two years' is pruning/cutting back, after its been planted.

'prune a good third off' is pruning/cutting back, after its been planted.

:)

Dominant leaders I would prune/ cut back by a third.

I think Coll1e is advising not to prune immediately but maybe later on year 1 and only selectively. Paddy is saying to do so straight away.

Someone else told me to just trim off the leaf buds that are on the end of every stem, all over the plant, top and sides immediately after planting .Does this sound right . It's a compromise surely

muckyhands

Citizenpain wrote: »

I think Coll1e is advising not to prune immediately but maybe later on year 1 and only selectively. Paddy is saying to do so straight away.

Someone else told me to just trim off the leaf buds that are on the end of every stem, all over the plant, top and sides immediately after planting .Does this sound right . It's a compromise surely

First thing that comes to mind is with 400+ plants, youd have to have the patience of a saint and then some to do that.

(or else get paid to do it:D)

Citizenpain

muckyhands wrote: »

First thing that comes to mind is with 400+ plants, youd have to have the patience of a saint and then some to do that.

(or else get paid to do it:D)

Good point

Oldtree

The reason for pruning off some the main (dominant) stem when planting a hedge is that it removes the apical dominance and encourages the plant to bush out. Another reason for pruning hedge plants is uniform look of the resulting hedge after planting. You do not have to take one third off every plant as they are variable in size altready, ie 2-3 feet, but you can do that if you so desire to be pedantic (like me) rather than going for immediately good asthetic.

I started my beech hedge with 90-120 cm plants, which allowed my lots of leaway in both pruning of the plants (upon planting), and roots as well. Thay have large root systems and good reserves to survive the shock of transplanting.

The most important thing to my mind is the root system, keep that number of plants in a healing in bed/hole until just before planting and then only take out 20 or so at a time if possible. Protect the plants in a plastic bag when planting out and face the bottom of the bag into the wind, you can wet the inside of the plastic bag to keep things moist, or even dip the plants in a bucket of water after taking out of healing in bed and straight into the bag. I would suggest slit planting for that number of plants.

after that annual pruning for both shape and to set up the faces of the hedge that you want to have in the end.

Citizenpain

Oldtree wrote: »

The reason for pruning off some the main (dominant) stem when planting a hedge is that it removes the apical dominance and encourages the plant to bush out. Another reason for pruning hedge plants is uniform look of the resulting hedge after planting. You do not have to take one third off every plant as they are variable in size altready, ie 2-3 feet, but you can do that if you so desire to be pedantic (like me) rather than going for immediately good asthetic.

I started my beech hedge with 90-120 cm plants, which allowed my lots of leaway in both pruning of the plants (upon planting), and roots as well. Thay have large root systems and good reserves to survive the shock of transplanting.

The most important thing to my mind is the root system, keep that number of plants in a healing in bed/hole until just before planting and then only take out 20 or so at a time if possible. Protect the plants in a plastic bag when planting out and face the bottom of the bag into the wind, you can wet the inside of the plastic bag to keep things moist, or even dip the plants in a bucket of water after taking out of healing in bed and straight into the bag. I would suggest slit planting for that number of plants.

after that annual pruning for both shape and to set up the faces of the hedge that you want to have in the end.

Thanks oldtree- trench is dug thankfully . Plants in bags - planting Saturday !

paddy147

Citizenpain wrote: »

Thanks oldtree- trench is dug thankfully . Plants in bags - planting Saturday !

Hope you have a good day for it.:)

Nice and relaxing aswell...good way to destress yourself and unwind from the week just gone by I find.:pac::D

Citizenpain

Cheers Paddy - i've plenty help thankfully !

monkeynuz

Personally I wouldn't trim them at all in the first couple of years, let them get near the desired height first then start trimming.

Mulching is imperative either with mulch mats or grass clippings or bark, something that will help keep moisture in and weeds away from the base.

Tree tubes are also a great help in protecting the young plants, especially from rabbits! Also giving them a nice little microclimate in which to thrive!

Hope this helps.

M.

Oldtree

I was never a fan of tree tubes as they have can prevent side branching necessary for a hedge and create a different micro environment that the tree will have to adjust from when removed.
Weed competition not much of an issue with 2-3 foot high plants, but grass clippings make for a great mulch as long as not too deep 2-3 inches and do not let clippings touch bark as can damage bark with the heat from decomposition and also prevent bark breathing.

muckyhands

I think there should be an ultimate hedge thread sticky.

I would disagree with not formatively pruning a beech hedge in its infancy in some way because at the end of the day youre asking what would naturally grow up to be a tree - to be a hedge.

If you want it to be a hedge, you have to remove that incination to reach for the sky,to be a tree ( which theyre naturally going to do, in competition with their neighbours) and instead grow into each other- in order to form the hedge.

Mans ( ahem- Womans:D) power over nature = the hedge. :pac:

Citizenpain

I'll cut them back a little bit and update you all annually ....

Oldtree

muckyhands wrote: »

I think there should be an ultimate hedge thread sticky.
:pac:

splendid idea, perhaps one on planting trees too, would save an aful lot of repedative typing.

paddy147

Citizenpain wrote: »

Thanks oldtree- trench is dug thankfully . Plants in bags - planting Saturday !

Its a mere 1 degree C here and snowing at the moment.

Not a great day for it.:(



Hope you are having nicer weather in your part of the country.:)

Cove Cobain

Planted 100 Beech and 80 Laurel today. All bare root. Plants were put into a car without any soil or water around the roots for about 3/4 of an hour, they hardly would have dryed out? Did not bodder trim the tops off either, is this a bad idea?

Citizenpain

paddy147 wrote: »

Its a mere 1 degree C here and snowing at the moment.

Not a great day for it.:(



Hope you are having nicer weather in your part of the country.:)

Great way of destressing he said! I''m shattered . Planted about 390--25 spare .. About half firmed in. Will finish tomorrow. This is a 1/4 of it. Have to tug up a lot of them as they are an inch or two too deep
About 5 degrees here all day

Citizenpain

Cove Cobain wrote: »

Planted 100 Beech and 80 Laurel today. All bare root. Plants were put into a car without any soil or water around the roots for about 3/4 of an hour, they hardly would have dryed out? Did not bodder trim the tops off either, is this a bad idea?

Mine in bags since Wednesday and v few dried out.. Its easy tell if they are dried out though...as in the roots on mine looked very wet!

paddy147

Citizenpain wrote: »

Great way of destressing he said! I''m shattered . Planted about 390--25 spare .. About half firmed in. Will finish tomorrow. This is a 1/4 of it. Have to tug up a lot of them as they are an inch or two too deep
About 5 degrees here all day

Yep now you are relaxed and destressed..you will sleep like a log so.:D


Plant them somewhere as spares and prune the same as all your new hedging...even plant them in some large plastic pots/planters

You will have some spares that will be the same height as the main hedge...just incase you loose the odd 1 in the 1st year.

Hopefully you wont loose any of them.:)

Cove Cobain

Citizenpain wrote: »

Have to tug up a lot of them as they are an inch or two too deep
About 5 degrees here all day

Whats the consequences of having them an inch or two too deep?

Do they need watering when in, if so frequency etc? Thanks

Citizenpain

Cove Cobain wrote: »

Whats the consequences of having them an inch or two too deep?

Do they need watering when in, if so frequency etc? Thanks

More likely to rot and fail

Apparently water heavily once a week or so.

But I've only picked that up from the good people here & google

paddy147

A good watering every so often is what I did and still do.

Even yesterday I gave the entire garden a good watering,especially the Hornbeam hedgerows..as the wind can whip moisture out of the soil in wintertime.

Its important to not let the roots dry out.

Oldtree

never watered my hedge, my ethos make it or die! But i have a harsh environment so i wanted only hard plants, survivors. no windbreak either. have 3 spares at back of garden just in case.

Oldtree

Cove Cobain wrote: »

Whats the consequences of having them an inch or two too deep?

Do they need watering when in, if so frequency etc? Thanks

if you have planted them deeper than the nursery line then the soil will ringbark them and they will most likely fail. Above ground bark breathes and below ground bark has waterproofng and nere the twain shall meet. It is possible to plant too high and for underground bark to dry out and function but looks sloppy.

Cove Cobain

I don't know if its a good thing reading this thread. Seems I am doomed to failure. Previously planted 180 Griselina (potted) had 2 failures, she was coming along lovely, then the winter and temperatures of -16 Deg C came - wipeout. Planted the current batch in about 90 mins, had the holes pre-dug to about 8 - 9 inches. Tender loving care - I just did not have the time or patience. Frost last night was not great news either!, looks like a full week of it too. Chatted to a lad 3 months ago, who says he planted 300 bare root last year and just put them behind an incision he made with a spade - no failures of course.

Citizenpain

And I'm done ... All firmed in , watered and cut back the leading stem on all of them ...

Just need to tidy up the spare plants some evening this week

Wish me luck , coz I never want to go through that again !!

Helped a mate plant 100+ trees a few weeks ago ... Much easier work