While the days are shorter and it can be difficult to find the time, the winter months can be a good time to tackle some of those jobs that have been put on the long finger. Hedge cutting, laying and planting are some of these tasks, and aside from the legal obligations around hedge cutting and dates, the winter months, when trees and plants are in their dormant stage, is a preferred time for carrying out these actions.

Hedge cutting

The hedge cutting season opened on 1 September and runs through to the end of February. It is illegal to cut hedges outside of these dates. With current excellent ground conditions in many parts of the country, it is the ideal time to get hedges trimmed back where necessary.

A one in three-year rotation is recommended, whereby a third of the hedges on the farm are trimmed annually, or, one side is cut one year, the other side the following year and the top on the third year. This allows for cover and food for nesting birds and bees, and allows hedges to grow up and out, becoming thicker, more stock proof and a greater source of shelter.

Where annual cutting is completed, a very light trim should be done. Excessive trimming or flailing of some species, such as whitethorn, can leave it prone to diseases like hard knuckle. Hedges should be trimmed in to an ‘A’ shape, whereby the base of the hedge is wider than the top.

Hedge laying

Hedge laying is a highly skilled job, with the skill being lost by many. Hedge laying is the go-to method of getting an escaped hedge back under control. There are professional hedge layers available around the country that can complete the work to a high skill level. If you are not confident in your own ability to lay a hedge, then use of a professional hedge layer is a good option.

If you wish to try your hand at it, then start with a small section of hedge. Clear away some of the brash (ideally on the side where there is no livestock or the side facing along a roadway) to allow you access to the base of the plant.

The stem (called a pleacher by hedge layers) should be cut 70-80% the way through at an angle. A small electric chainsaw is one of the better, more controllable tools with which to do this. When laying a hedge, you want the hedge to lie up the hill, so start at the top of the hill and work your way down. When cut, you want to bend over the stem until it sits at an angle of about 45°. In order to do this, you may have to trim additional branches of the hedge.

On windy or exposed sites, a hooked timber pin (which can be cut from the hedge) can be used to help secure the hedge at the correct angle. Where these are not available, timber stakes with willow rods woven in between will work well, though this is time consuming and skilled work, and will add to the cost of the hedging.

Coppicing

Coppicing involves cutting a hedge to stimulate re-growth. In coppicing, the entire stem is cut to just above ground level and the cut stump is allowed to re-grow. Coppicing is less skillful and much more invasive, entirely removing a usable habitat for most species for at least three years. Hedge laying is the preferred option where possible as the hedge continues to flower and produce food, whereas coppiced hedges may not flower for a number of years.

Do not coppice all of your hedges in one go; really no more than 5% of a hedge should be coppiced annually in order to maintain resources/habitats. This makes it a long-term but really rewarding practice. Similarly to hedge laying, doing it in small sections every year retains wildlife habitat and provides a reliable and consistent source of firewood.

Coppicing is necessary for hedges that are too gappy to be laid. In these cases, coppicing is usually combined with a lot of infill planting between the gaps. The stump itself will re-grow quickly due to the extensive root system already established underneath, while the newly planted slips will eventually bloom and fill out the gaps.

Planting

A good rule of thumb for planting hedges is to plant them only in months with an ‘r’ in them, which are September to April, when the plant is dormant. Talk to your local hedgerow supplier about sourcing Irish bare root hedging, and time your collection of the plants so that you will be planting within six days of collection, to avoid the plant drying out. The use of multiple species in a hedge adds diversity and prevents a hedge being decimated entirely if disease was to break out in a species.

Some sample species suited to Irish farm hedges include whitethorn, blackthorn, elm, hazel and holly.

The ground should not be frozen or waterlogged ahead of planting, and should consist of well aerated soil. When planting, plant saplings in a double staggered row, with 30-40cm between trees (zig-zag pattern) as this will ensure a denser and thicker hedge.

Once planted, cover the hedging with either bark mulch, wool or tram to control weeds, with the two former being preferential. Wool also has the added benefit of insulating the young tree from frost, as well as being of use as a fertiliser as it eventually rots away.

Further information on hedge trimming, laying, coppicing and planting can be found on Hedgerows Ireland’s website www.hedgerows.ie

In short