Establishing Your New Hedge

With the approach of warmer months getting nearer, it means that the end of the traditional hedge planting season is also fast approaching. As we get to the end of this period it is a good time to start looking at and planning the aftercare for the new hedge.

So how do you go about establishing your new hedge? Aftercare is critical to the success of the planting and what the hedge will do over the next few years.

It doesn’t really matter how the hedge was planted, if it was done from bare root plants or from instant hedging units, the aftercare is the same for establishing your new hedge. 

 

 

Watering

As we get into March, while it is not visible on the surface, the plants are starting to grow. The first growth is from the roots and we find this is one of the critical times to make sure that the plants are not struggling and searching for water. If the roots do not get properly established it will mean that any top growth can be stunted and wispy.  To compensate for this, it is a good idea to start watering early March, as long as the ground is not frozen, and to do this weekly until we get into April when the frequency needs to be increased.  

It is during April and May that you should start to see the buds on the twigs starting to burst and the new leaves appearing (on deciduous plants) and at this point it is worth upping the watering to every other day and by the end of May to daily watering with the amount of water being applied being dictated by temperature, rainfall and amount of wind.  

Wind might seem a strange consideration but on a cool day a strong wind can strip moisture out of a plant and lead to leaf scorch and stress which on a freshly planted hedge can have quite an effect.

 

 

Weed Control

This is a very critical part of establishing a hedge. A weed is more than a plant growing in the wrong place, they tend to be very fast growing and a lot are also shallow rooted. Being shallow rooted means that they can grab any water and food that is applied before it can get down to the roots of the plants it is intended for.

Also, generally being quicker growing they not only use up the food faster but they can also start to shade the other plants out so they grow slower and weaker dues to not enough sunlight.

Keeping weeds down will eliminate all of these problems. Cutting weeds down doesn’t really work as they will just continue to grow. It is best to remove them altogether with their roots and as a minimum have bare soil around the base of any freshly planted hedge. For a gold plated finish, you would mulch with a composted bark or similar to a depth of 75mm but not touching the stems of the hedging plant as this can cause issues as well.

Mulching helps to suppress weeds, retain water and as it degrades slowly feeds the plants as well.

 

Pruning/trimming

Some people say that you should not trim a newly planted hedge as it will be working on establishing itself.  However, as long as it is being fed and watered and not competing with anything, it can be safely trimmed.  Trimming at a young age sets the plants up and dictates what sort of hedge you get. Regular trimming 2 -3 times per year will give you lovely dense hedge that if trimmed slightly narrower at the top will be covered in foliage down to the ground.

Not trimming until the plant has reached the height that you want will lead to a thin wispy and even straggly hedge that will be unsightly and potentially disappointing.

 

Feeding

Regular feeding is also a necessity when establishing your new hedge. When the first signs of new growth are seen it is advisable to give plants a feed ideally with a liquid fertiliser to give them a good boost and then you can apply a slow release fertiliser that will slowly nourish them during the rest of the growing season.

 

 

Following all or even some of this advice in establishing your new hedge will lead you to having a healthy and happy hedge that will perform its job for many years ahead. Keen to discuss further with a member of the team or looking to check out our hedging options? Get in touch with a member of the team here!