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Cardinal Fang

Joined: 02 Nov 2005
Posts: 224
Location: Shropshire

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 05 7:03 pm Post subject: Hornbeam

Have got to plant a 30 metre hornbeam hedge at the weekend. All the plants have arived, and I've put them in a quick trench.

Never planted a hedge before; have been keeping the area to be planted weed free etc, but anyone any ideas or tips. As far as i can work out, I need the plants spaced at 9 ins (they are about 2-3 foot high, and had intended working in some bonemeal before I plant.

Any help gratefully recd.

Thanks

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 05 7:20 pm Post subject:
Never planted hormbeam but I believe it's fairly robust, probably do fine without fertiliser, what's the weather like where you are?

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 05 7:25 pm Post subject:

What's your soil like? If it's light and not that rich I'd use a little bone meal as I've found it helped my trees get established.

I have a few hornbeams that were seedlings from a friends garden that were potted up for a few years, they seem very robust.

If they are bare rooted and you have time I'd clip off any damaged roots, soak them in some water for an hour if they are not already wet and then plant. Most hedges they suggest clipping the tops down to about a foot but I'm not sure about hornbeam. I would also keep them watered in their first year, grey water will be fine.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 05 7:30 pm Post subject:
One thing that's really supposed to help all trees is to innoculate with mycorrhizal fungi, you can get spores from some places, you just mix in a bucket and dip the roots in.

Cardinal Fang

Joined: 02 Nov 2005
Posts: 224
Location: Shropshire

Posted: Fri Nov 11, 05 7:47 am Post subject:

Soil is pretty good- not heavy; I took down and dug out (JCB!!) the roots of some 30 year old conifers in Oct 04, and have been working the soil intermittently since in readiness.

I sowed some grass seed mid Sept over most of the area and its growing really well, but have left a 1m strip beyond that next to the pavement for the hornbeam hedge.

The soil will inevitably contain a large proportion of conifer needles, but otherwise, would there be any problems.

Where I am planting faces mainly west, and into the prevailing wind- will the plants need staking for first year?

Thanks for the replies.

bernie-woman

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7824
Location: shropshire

Posted: Fri Nov 11, 05 8:53 am Post subject:

The plants should not need staking at all - if you want a nice bushy hedge from the bottom up you will need to prune them down if they are large plants.
It will look and feel too harsh but will pay you back with loads of base shoots in the spring. I would recommend mulching with compost or something like that as the biggest killer will be drought

It is also best to plant two rows of plants so that you do not get gaps - I hope that makes sense

Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Fri Nov 11, 05 9:01 am Post subject:

bernie wrote:

It is also best to plant two rows of plants so that you do not get gaps - I hope that makes sense

Would you go for offest rows, or parallel?

ie
X X X X X
X X X X X

or
X X X X X
X X X X X

bernie-woman

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7824
Location: shropshire

Posted: Fri Nov 11, 05 9:02 am Post subject:

Northern_Lad wrote:

bernie wrote:

It is also best to plant two rows of plants so that you do not get gaps - I hope that makes sense

Would you go for offest rows, or parallel?

ie
X X X X X
�X X X X X

or
X X X X X
X X X X X

Like this

X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X

bernie-woman

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7824
Location: shropshire

Posted: Fri Nov 11, 05 9:04 am Post subject:
Just realised why your and mine look the same - when we post it resets the letters Basically you plant one row of plants and the second row will be placed in front of the row and the plants placed in the gaps bewteen the first row of plants but further forward

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Fri Nov 11, 05 9:07 am Post subject:
Do you have a problem with rabbits or other nibbling animals at all Mr Fang? Anyone know if you can layer hornbeam?

Cardinal Fang

Joined: 02 Nov 2005
Posts: 224
Location: Shropshire

Posted: Fri Nov 11, 05 4:59 pm Post subject:
No problems with rabbits; main problem is drunken teenagers from the estate up the road taking a short cut across our corner plot lawn on a Saturday night! I'm banking on losing one or two trampled underfoot, but occupational hazard I suppose

Tristan

Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Posts: 392
Location: North Gloucestershire

Posted: Fri Nov 11, 05 5:08 pm Post subject:
Hornbeam doesn't layer very well. The more old compost mixed into the backfill the better, and better still is some leafmould from a nearby wood as that will have the mycorrhizae that Tahir was on about, and that speeds up growth by about 30% in my reckoning. Mulching is vital, and a few single strands of wire with electric fence warning signs never go amiss!

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Fri Nov 11, 05 8:55 pm Post subject: quick and dirty hedge planting

dreadfully non-perfectionist but time / labour-saving tip from experience of planting large agricultural-sized hedge-boxes for money :

don't dig a hole for each plant. make two deep cuts in the soil in the shape of a cross X and work the spade back and forth in each a couple of times till you open up a small space to insert the (I assume these are bare-rooted plants) hedge plant. stick it in, and heel the earth back around the plant carefully with your boot. could use the opportunity to fill with leaf mould / etc.

there will be a small casualty rate with this method, but as the hedge grows, it's good enough. you can always fill in later.

i'd go for offset rows too.

Use a planting spade (narrower and sharper than a garden spade, and preferably with a lug along the top edges so you can really exert pressure with a boot). or make sure your spade is sharp.

A planting sack (something the size / shape of a paperboy's bag) is also useful.

your back may give you gyp after all that bending.

Cardinal Fang

Joined: 02 Nov 2005
Posts: 224
Location: Shropshire

Posted: Sun Nov 13, 05 4:01 pm Post subject:
140 plants duly interred and pruned. Now, can anyone recommend me a chiropractor?

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Sun Nov 13, 05 7:43 pm Post subject:
well done ! think you deserve a sit down (see the thread 'Can I sit down now ?') - if you still can

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