transplanting beech hedge

Powdery mildew on hedge. We cannot overstate this. How quickly will a beech hedge grow? The green foliage gives way to beautiful copper and red colors in the fall. For pictures, please watch our formal hedge planting video. The better the contact between earth and root, the better the plant will establish. To minimize the amount of time your roots are exposed to the air, let the plant’s roots continue to soak in the water until the very moment you are ready to put them in the ground. We hope these instructions have been useful, but if beech is not for you, don't forget there is wide variety of possibilities so please have a look at the rest of our range of hedging. Mypex is very strong indeed and will not tear and you will find that it is firmly tucked into the slit made by the spade. Beech, also known as European Beech or Common Beech, has great wildlife value and is one of the best hedge plants … When collecting beech tree seeds, find a healthy beech tree that is growing within a 100 mile radius of where you will be planting the seeds. I have watered them often; we are now in mid-June and 3 of them have turned brown and crisp. Step 1 - Collect Beech Tree Seeds. In a double row they will still be 33cms in each row however there will be two rows 40 cms apart and the slits in one row will be offset from those in the other row so the two are staggered forcing you to plant in a zig-zag. This way you don’t need a guide to remodel your beech hedge. As long as soil doesn’t have too much clay and there’s a good amount of drainage, the plants should thrive. Bare-root plants, like beech, hornbeam and yew are ideal as they’re cheap and easy to plant during the dormant season. We deliver these plus a range of planting accessories across mainland UK. They all grew bright green and purple leaves. If you’re planting in a single line, aim for 4 plants per meter. Beech isn’t too fussy about location and will tolerate both sun and partial shade as well as windy locations. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. If you have planned ahead and are doing this in advance (gold star if you have! Mark out the estimated spread of roots, adding an extra 30-60cm (1-2ft). For a newly planted beech hedgerow, lightly trim the terminal growth bud off each shoot at the time of planting. A Beech hedge can last hundreds of years so it is important that you prepare the site thoroughly before planting. What's up? To create this article, 10 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Trench Planting. Once established, it can tolerate dry spells but should be given extra water during drought. How you plant a hedge will depend on how thick and large you’re hoping for it to grow. The general rule is to dig … If for some reason a root has been damaged cut it off with sharp secateurs and dispose of it elsewhere. Larger beech hedging plants - from 80cms upwards have roots that are too big for slit planting and will need to be planted in a trench (more later). Fast-growing, it’s perfect for small spaces as you can simply erect a frame for it to climb up and clip it as tightly as you see fit. Ivy is a fantastic wildlife plant as it provides shelter for nesting birds, autumn flowers for late-flying insects and berries for birds and small mammals in winter. When the Mypex is tucked in all round, you can trim off the excess with a sharp knife if you want. When you need them, take out one bundle at a time, put the plants into your bucket of Rootgrow (or water if you are not using Rootgrow) and take them out one at a time as you plant them. All Rights Reserved. To create this article, 10 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. At this point, covering it with weed-proof fabric means you won't have to weed again before planting... Come planting day either keep your plants roots protected from any wind by keeping them in the plastic bags in which they were sent. Young beech saplings of 40-60 or 60-80 cms tall can be slit planted (more later). Next, one person puts the spade through the first slit and drives the blade, vertically, to full depth. Poor soils are generally not a problem for either plant, but beech does not do well in overly wet conditions. Whatever its size, Beech prefers a well-drained soil - and hates sticky clay - so you may need to add grit to help with drainage, but if your ground just does not drain, then plant hornbeam in the same way instead. Excavate to at least 30cm (1ft) and fork over the base and sides. Otherwise do not prune your beech at all until the following spring. Follow the steps below to grow beech trees from seed. It will need more water than normal. One of the most popular types of hedging planted in the UK, a beech hedge can last for hundreds of years. ), put the soil back into the trench and allow it settle before planting. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Drought is not problematic once either plant is established. The tree’s leaves change color with the passing seasons, which make it an attractive hedge in many outdoor spaces. Common Beech hedges (Fagus sylvatica) description Beech (Fagus sylvatica) hedging offer a bright and beautiful display of green hues throughout spring and summer, with the medium-sized leaves adopting warm autumn colours and crisping during the colder months. American beeches are less dogmatic about drainage, but there's never a downside to providing it. Weeding is key to success. The most important thing is to make sure your new plants establish and grow away well. These instructions apply to all sizes of our  beech hedging plants and are for those who prefer words. Boring, but it really makes a difference to the bushiness of the hedge. At this time of year, the plants are becoming dormant for the Winter and so transplant well, and the soil temperature is still comparatively warm meaning that the plants will begin to make … Keep bare earth, or mulch or Mypex (covered with bark or gravel if you don't like its look) around your hedge. Hedge Maple (Acer campestre)—This flowering maple plant is a trendy hedging tree with rapid growth. Planting Beech Hedging. It takes time to describe, but is very easy to do and is very successful. Take a sapling out of the Rootgrow mixture (or bucket of water) and hold it vertically in the trench while spreading out its roots so that as much root as possible is in contact with the soil. The single most important thing is that there is no competition for food or water from other flora (weeds, including grass). loosen the bottom of the trench with a garden fork to help drainage. Powdery mildew is a powdery, grey fungal coating that affects a variety of hedging plants, such as native hawthorn hedges. Do this all along one edge and then back along the other trying to keep the fabric taut. The rows are 40 cms apart and the plants are at 33cms spacings within the row. In the case of an already formed hedge, successive pruning is easier. The second person takes a sapling out of the Rootgrow mixture (keep them in a bucket of water if you are not using Rootgrow) and holds it just above the ground with the roots over and along the line of the slot. You should plant your saplings in late winter or early spring for the best results. This is done using a weed control fabric such as Mypex. If planting in a staggered double row as is advised, aim for 6 plants per meter. So for a double row you will need to allow 5 trees per metre. Unfortunately, it is quite common and almost no hedge is fully immune. You can expect your beech hedge to grow about 30–60 centimeter (11.8–23.6 in) each year depending on conditions. Beech is very shallow rooted in the first couple of years after planting. Remove the spade. A beech tree is best transplanted during the early spring months, when the weather is mild enough to avoid frosts, but not so hot that the plant will dry out. Larger plants are at least a year older and have very much bigger root systems. Try to keep the base of the hedge at about 3 ¼ feet (1 m) at the base, and then thin as you go up to your desired plant height. Water really well in dry spells all through the first summer. Bare root plants should be stored in temperatures just above freezing and the root casings should not be allowed to dry out. You can cut it to width and peg it down if you want, but the following is much easier. Improve the soil to give your plants a head start by adding - no more than - 25% by volume of well-rotted manure or good garden compost and mixing it in well with the existing soil. There is a bit of an art to this: you neither want to completely compact the soil (especially if you are on heavy soil) or damage the roots by stamping down too hard but equally if the roots are not securely planted in the soil the sapling will move around or be blown over, the roots will come free from the soil and the sapling will struggle or die. Ivy makes a fantastic, versatile hedge. If you are doing this all in one go fix a line along the centre line of your trench and then either mark it every 33cms or use a tape measure or marked cane. From three years and up, trim the sides of the hedge. European Beech (Fagus sylvatica)—Beech trees are fast-growing deciduous trees that can be clipped into formal hedges. By using our site, you agree to our. The American beech is the variety commonly seen in the United States, although there are several types of beech trees found throughout Europe and Asia. Lay down pieces of newspaper under your hedge. Smaller plants are generally planted at higher density than tall plants. We also use cookies to enable you to buy products from us online in a convenient and secure manner. In year 1 in particular, if there is a dry week PLEASE WATER YOUR HEDGE. lifted them with a mini digger without soil and planted them straight away in a trench with water and chicken manure pellets in the bottom. This article has been viewed 30,665 times. They need trench planting. For bare roots, 3 plants per metre is adequate, 5 is good, 7 plants in a double staggered row makes a dense hedge quicker. Its limitation is that it only works with smaller plants (graded at up to 60-80cms). Place these sheets over the area where you will plan to have your hedge. Weigh them down with rocks and other heavy objects. A newly planted beech tree hedge needs regular watering during its first year or two. % of people told us that this article helped them. The only thing you should really avoid when picking out a spot to plant your hedge is soil that has a lot of clay in it, or that often gets soggy (be it from a sprinkler or a downward slope that makes water collect in that area). Backfill around the roots with the soil you removed from the trench. The American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) is sometimes called blue beech, but it is an unrelated species of small tree or shrub. No matter the size, beech ... Slit Planting. The beech is a … A newly planted beech tree hedge needs regular watering during its first year or two. In our experience, approaching 100% of the beech failures we replace under guarantee died because they were not watered when the weather was dry. Once they’ve established, beech hedges work well in most conditions. "Planted 20 European beech last summer, and so far they look great. If you use Mypex, you will need less water. Really well. This give a thicker and more robust hedge. Do not cut it to width just yet. As in MUCH easier than doing it alone. Lecture over. Watered well and more chicken manure on the top. If you have these conditions, Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) may be a good substitute for beech. Instead, standing on the Mypex and using an ordinary garden spade simply drive the spade into the soil, through the Mypex, down for about 2-3". Bark is not designed to be submerged under soil and rots quite easily if you do so. You will want to trim the plant into the shape of an ‘A’ with a flat top so that light can reach all of the parts of the hedge equally. Look closely, and all the trunk bases are perfectly straight – … All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Planting too deeply is the commonest mistake made when planting trees. Copyright © 2020 Ashridge Trees Limited. This will ensure that the soil and climate it will be growing in is best matched for the variety of beech tree. If you are establishing the fence … No matter the size, beech hedging can be easy to plant, maintain and care for. Although deciduous, it usually holds onto the dead leaves when grown as a hedge, so still offers privacy and shelter during winter. But if it is dry, a point comes when water you must. When planting as a hedge, get an advance on your hedge's eventual height by planting atop a low mound three or four feet wide and six or eight inches high at the center, where the line of beeches would be planted. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. However, be careful not to over water as beech do not like waterlogged soil. After planting, your beech hedge should be watered regularly during its first year to give it the best chance of survival and this is especially important if your hedge is being planted in the drier summer months. The small roots were certainly damaged. It is a classic, beloved hedge choice and has the added benefit of holding its copper-colored fall leaves on the branches all the … If you add too much the roots of your hedge will stay inside the trench instead of going off to look for food thereby anchoring the hedge against the strongest gale. Determine the Maximum Height of the Green Fence You Want. Fresh horse manure can ‘burn’ young saplings so don’t use it immediately before planting. A beech transplanted into a city backyard looks something like Alice in the White Rabbit's house after she ate the growing mushroom. Move on 33cm and repeat the process until all are planted. When this is done, it should be very hard indeed to pull it out of the ground using just thumb and forefinger. Allowed to grow to its full potential, beech forms a large majestic tree for spacious gardens. The plants should be planted in a staggered pattern – rather than one straight line. Avoid keeping them in a heated area such as in your home. This article has been viewed 30,665 times. How to Plant a Beech Hedge. An unheated shed is probably best. Beech is the most popular deciduous, formal hedge grown in this country. Sign up to our newsletter for a 5 year guarantee. This is quick, but it requires the weed cover to be either killed before planting with a systemic, non persisting weedkiller such as glyphosate or to be starved of light (and so killed) before, during and after planting. If you are shopping, here is our selection of beech hedge plant sizes. If you want to keep the area looking tidy, sweep up the leaves around the hedge, but let the leaves that fall under the hedge remain where they are. Do not let too much touch the trunk because this can rot the bark. The second is to have enough water in its first year. References Do not plant when it is freezing. Then, using a garden line to keep the planting straight, cut slits across the fabric a little longer than your spade is wide. It is best planted at 3 plants per metre, one every 33cms, in a single row to allow sufficient room for the roots to establish but equally to be close enough for a tightly knit hedge to grow quickly. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c0\/Plant-a-Beech-Hedge-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Plant-a-Beech-Hedge-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c0\/Plant-a-Beech-Hedge-Step-1.jpg\/aid4594086-v4-728px-Plant-a-Beech-Hedge-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"