Popular opinion has it that farmers are responsible for grubbing out thousands of miles of hedgerow each year. However, since the early 1990's, farmers have been busy planting new hedges and overall hedgerow length is increasing. Here we illustrate some of the practical aspects involved.

Hedge planting normally takes place between December and March when the ground is moist and the hedging plant is dormant. Planting is a manual task that invoves creating a hole in the ground into which the plant is put. Normally a special planting spade is used like the one illustrated. This is known as a "notching spade".

It is necessary to lever the spade back and forth to open the ground sufficiently for the plant roots to be placed deep into the soil. If the ground is very hard or particularly stony, the task of notching can be slow. The task will also be more difficult if new plants are being added to an existing hedgerow (known as gapping up) where the existing root structure will interfere with the new planting.

Young trees are particularly vulnerable to pest damage in the early years of the woodland. Protection is essential and this can either be through perimeter fencing or through the protection of individual trees. Generally it will be more economical to fence an area that exceeds one hectare, whereas individual protection will be cheaper for smaller blocks.

Once the plant is safely in the ground the farmer will heel the notched hole back together. In good conditions it is possible to plant as many as 700 plants a day. However, this concludes the easy part! Young hedging plants are particularly attractive to deer, rabbits and hares and will be browsed to ground level without adequate protection. In addition the young plants can be quickly choked by competitive weeds. Planting a hedge is one thing, establishing it is another.

One of the most popular ways of protecting the young plants is through the use of shelters. These ones are about 50 cm tall and secured to the ground with a small peg. Competitive weeds can be seen growing around the shelters and these will have to be removed. Weeds can be controlled manually which is both slow and expensive or sprayed with a herbicide.

A view down the shelter as a young hazel plant bursts into life. Hedging protected this way enjoys a beneficial microclimate and is often early into leaf. Shelters also help the farmer to identify the location of the plant and to spray off the surrounding weeds safely.

Herbicide control of weeds is important for the first couple of years while the young hedge establishes. Herbicides fall into two groups; those that control weeds like Roundup, and those that prevent weeds from emerging, for example Kerb. Both types can usually be mixed and need to be applied to provide weed free conditions during April, May and early June.

Weed free conditions lead to higher soil moisture levels are greater nutrient availability in general. Helping a new hedge in this way is particularly important where it has been planted into an old hedge line where rotting and diseased material can further reduce establishment success.

There are many different types of shelter in use and these here are supported by a bamboo cane. Along side this planting is a new fence which provides protection from the road and prevents wildlife from cutting through the hedge and causing damage.

In exposed locations the new hedge could be protected on both sides by fencing. In this case note good practice in the use of a grass margin which buffers the hedge from the farming activities in the field.

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