Looking at self planting a beech hedge

Cuchulain

Hi,

Im looking at planting a common beech hedge (Fagus sylvatica). I have a few questions that somebody might be kind enough to answer.

1) Im looking for the green beech, am I right in saying that this will be green during to summer and fade to yellow/brown as we move into winter?
2) Would now be a good time to sow this or would frost likely kill them?
3) They will be up against a fence, I want to hedge to be eventually thick and around 6-8 foot high. How far apart would I need to plant these?
4) I'll probably buy them online to get the best rates, I see alot of peopl mentioning "bareroot". Is this what you would recommend?

Many thanks in advance,

Sonnenblumen

Cuchulain wrote: »

Hi,

Im looking at planting a common beech hedge (Fagus sylvatica). I have a few questions that somebody might be kind enough to answer.

1) Im looking for the green beech, am I right in saying that this will be green during to summer and fade to yellow/brown as we move into winter?
2) Would now be a good time to sow this or would frost likely kill them?
3) They will be up against a fence, I want to hedge to be eventually thick and around 6-8 foot high. How far apart would I need to plant these?
4) I'll probably buy them online to get the best rates, I see alot of peopl mentioning "bareroot". Is this what you would recommend?

Many thanks in advance,

Cuchulain

answers to above
1) Although the Beech is deciduous as a hedge it will retain most of the dead leaf (brown) over winter months
2) Now is an excellent time, be sure to heel them well so that are firm in ground, loose shoots will undermine plant and most likely die.
3) Space 450mm apart and probably 600mm off fence.
4) Bareoots are excellent value, very cheap, alternatively there are also root balls available. But for value go with bare roots/whips 900mm high.

Tip : good ground preparation is important, dig trench 300 wide x 300 deep and add plenty well rotted manure. Plant and securely heel in.
A well planted and well maintained Beech hedge is very impressive.

Good luck

Cuchulain

Many thanks for your reply Sonnenblumen. Your suggestions are very much appreciated. I think I might row the plants as I wish for it to be good and thick.

Do you see anything major missing or wrong with the following?

Trench
18 inches from fence
36 inches wide
24 inches deep
Use string line to make sure plants will be straight

Before Planting
Fork and aerate the soil and mix well rotted manure
Drench the trench with water and allow it to soak in
4oz bonemeal per sq yard

Planting
Two Rows
18 inches between each plant
15 inches between each row
Fill back in soil and heel well to get out air pockets

Gordon Gekko

I planted 100ft of beech hedge last January (in lashing sleet and snow - not fun :eek:). Sonnenblumen's advice is spot on - I put mine in a single row 18 inches apart. If you're putting two rows, stagger them i.e. put the plants in the second row 18 inches out from the first row in the space in between two plants in the first row. Only plant them to the depth of the soil mark on their stems - no deeper or they'll likely die off. Make sure you remove as many perennial weed roots as possible - a pain (particularly in the snow as mentioned above) but I'm glad I did it as I've had a virtually perennial weed-free hedge this year.

There's a school of thought that you don't need to/shouldn't manure the trench when planting a hedge, particularly if the plants are small - the theory being that they'll establish quicker and get deeper/stronger roots if they have to get their nutrients from the soil as opposed to the manure. Bone meal is prob a good idea though as it promotes strong roots.

I got my beech plants at 2ft high from www.futureforests.net - they were quite reasonable and have already done really well in their first season - I can see the rows starting to knit together and they've bulked out a fair bit.

Make sure you keep them well weeded in the first couple of years.

Cuchulain

Many thanks for your excellent advice and experiences Gordan.
Im probably going to be digging a trench, fortunately I have sprayed all the weeds and grass out last summer.

Would it be a good idea to put a thin layer grass cuttings to the base of the trees throughout the summer (Id be careful not to overdo it) to both keep down weeds and help with fertilising?

Sonnenblumen

Personally I'd go with a single line, if you do the prep work you plan, you'll reap the benefits of quick performing/development in hedge.

Grass cuttings is a good idea, but if it isn't too onerous, I'd hoe the area to ensure it remains weed free in Yr 1. in year 2 you could use an active surface weedkiller eg Casoron G. It is perfcetly safe to use around established shrubs and trees, active in top 150mm soil, so deep rooted stock not affected. Kills all existing weed and prevents any air borne seed from germinating in the area. After 3-5 years, the hedge will be well established and should inhibit weed growth.

You can use Fish Bone and blood in lieu of manure, but the latter is great soil conditioner. You could also use a little Peat free compost mixed in with soil+fert to provide a fine texture growing area.

I know there are many nurseries stuffed with plant material and a casual ring round and you'd be surprised how competitive prices are at the moment.

Flannery's Nurseries in Donadea Kildare would be a great grower/stockist !

mchammer

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Personally I'd go with a single line, if you do the prep work you plan, you'll reap the benefits of quick performing/development in hedge.!

Just wondering if anyone knows what the latest you can plant a hedge is? planted a hedge last year in Nov/Dec which worked out great but need to thicken it up a bit as I wasn't very consistent with the spacing and I killed a few with a strimmers last summer - Doh!

Thanks
MC

johno2

If you get them in pots it'll probably be okay. It's too late for bareroot now in my opinion.

johno

dfbemt

Old saying that you can plant during any month that has an 'r' in it - April should be still okay

almighty1

Does anybody know how much fish blood and bone (kg) would I need to cover 500 2-3 foot saplings?