Overhanging trees in fields

wrangler

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117640481#Comment_117640481

I'm just in from seeing the ewes, if you wanted to see the insulation quality of wool my ewes are great example at the moment ..... all out grazing in the sun in full fleeces, last shorn last august, lambs are lying in a line along a five foot high (manicured) hedge

bogman_bass

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117545706#Comment_117545706

Big difference between trimming road hedges for safety/ visibility reasons and wasting money trimming internal hedges to “keep the place tidy”

one things for sure. Anybody with high hedges was glad of them this week.

lukin

Well I got it done there last week. He started on Monday morning and finished last Wednesday about lunchtime. I am very happy with the results (see attached images). There were a good few hedges to be done so I thought it would take him a lot longer but he got it done in double-quick time. I also thought that with some of the hedges having such massive trees with really thick branches that he wouldn't be able to cut them right back but he was. The hedge is now level with the fence wire in front of it which is the result I was hoping for. It couldn't have worked out better because he did it at a prefect time of the year; I work from home and a lot of people were on hols where I work because of it being Christmas week. So I wasn't under as much pressure as normal and was able to scoot out for a few minutes to see how it was going and give any instructions if he needed them. One of the hedges is beside my next-door neighbour's driveway and I was worried that there would be a load of branches fired across to it from the the mulching. There was a bit but not too much. I brushed it off in a short time. Two hedges are on the other side of a public road (it is only an L road though) so again I was worried about cut-off branches getting on that. There wasn't many, I finished work at four and went out and cleared them.

There are a fair few branches and bruss on the field (just outside the fence wire, I expected that though) so I have to go around the hedges, gather up that stuff and throw it into the hedge. I can't really leave it there; because the land is leased I don't want to annoy the leasee. I have plenty time though, he won't have cattle on it until March I'd say.

So Covid restrictions do actually have some plus points. I would not have been able to get this done if I was working from the office. I would probably have to take days off for it. The only things that went wrong is there was one hedge I didn't get him to do but now I wish I had. I can do it myself though; there is not much work in it. Also he cut a water pipe but there is no water going through it because I have it turned off. I have time to fix it.

There was a lot of disapproval expressed on this thread about me getting the hedges cut but I am really glad I did it. I don't have to worry about the trees collapsing on the fence wire now. It makes life a lot easier. I will keep them trimmed back every year now. My expectations were exceeded, I haven't got the bill for it yet but I know whatever it is, it was well worth it.

Hedge after mulching.jpg

Hedge before mulching.jpg

roosterman71

Good job alright, and still plenty of shelter there. I think most assumed it would be cut down to the wire as well as breasted. Ya've gained an extra bit of grass too. And very little damage to the ground which is a big plus for the time of year

greysides

Come the middle of the summer, that will look a lot less hacked. Probably look quite neat!

alps

Some job...was this done with a flail head on a track machine? Its very neat, and absolutely no distuption to the ground. Love the way you left the top of the hedge alone. Congrats

lukin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118372210#Comment_118372210

I dont know what kind of machine it was but there's a short video of it in action here;https://files.fm/u/7r6nnetw2

I didn't ask him not to trim the top, that must have been his oen decision.

I'm glad he didn't as there would have been a lot more stuff on the ground.

cuculainn

Probably was. Posted already, but some good info in these webinars about frequency of cutting and how best to cut hedgerows

https://www.teagasc.ie/environment/biodiversity--countryside/farmland-habitats/hedgerows/hedgerow-week-/#cutting