Any one hedge laying??

ploughman1963 · Feb 9, 2023

Devil's advocate said:
How do you dress when hedging must be a prickly

An old ‘deer hunter’ coat - weatherproof,warm and thorn/barbed wire
resistant. Rostaing Ripeur 2 gloves - expensive but far superior to welding gauntlets- almost 100% proof against the worst of blackthorns - if you avoid one blackthorn they were worth it.
I’ve taken to wearing safety glasses and can’t believe how many close calls ive avoided since wearing them.
As the spring comes it gets too warm to wear my coat and you need some forearm protection! Mate of mine found me some Victorian leather gaiters (the ones you put on your lower legs and lace up) - they are brilliant - completely thorn proof and comfortable

organicguy · Feb 9, 2023

On doing some here, done 4 miles since I have been here. 400 m to do this year. One bit of over grown elm.
We only cut and lay down, then tie. If cutting stakes,binders and stake and binding takes 3 times as long. Hedge looks same in 3 years.

stroller · Feb 9, 2023

I would normally but the f**kwits at defra are still checking my application despite applying last year, I suppose at least I will get the higher rate of £13/m rather than £9.40 when I do start, but at this rate it will be next year.

Widgetone · Feb 9, 2023

A fairly large stockless arable farm near me is busy laying hedges.
Nice but 'different' around here, I wonder if this is at the owners whim, or are there grants available for anyone applying?
As far as I know, there no incoming livestock plans.

gatepost · Feb 9, 2023

Yes I have laid most of mine over the yrs, just starting a bit now, but probably won't get as much done as id like.

organicguy · Feb 9, 2023

ploughman1963 said:
An old ‘deer hunter’ coat - weatherproof,warm and thorn/barbed wire
resistant. Rostaing Ripeur 2 gloves - expensive but far superior to welding gauntlets- almost 100% proof against the worst of blackthorns - if you avoid one blackthorn they were worth it.
I’ve taken to wearing safety glasses and can’t believe how many close calls ive avoided since wearing them.
As the spring comes it gets too warm to wear my coat and you need some forearm protection! Mate of mine found me some Victorian leather gaiters (the ones you put on your lower legs and lace up) - they are brilliant - completely thorn proof and comfortable

plus 1 for Rostaing ripeur gloves, absolutely brilliant. Will last many times longer than welding gloves and are virtually thorn proof. Only issue is short wrists so I wear top half of a thick cotton boiler suit for nice hedges, add in welding arm guards for blackthorn or heavy bramble.

Not the best picture of last years piece, but it was a brilliant show of flower in the spring, crab apple left, brilliant to lay but nearly impossible to untangle!

Princess Pooper · Feb 9, 2023

Not my handiwork but the chap we have used for 25+ years. He does have a younger lad helping him and a local farmer's son has also set up hedgelaying which is good. New free hedgelaying training announced recently for 'foresters' (!)

tinsheet · Feb 9, 2023

Amazing the different styles across the country!
Here all our hedges are on earth banks, I see alot are just growing straight out the ground, some of them are incredibly well made!

stroller · Feb 9, 2023

stroller said:
I would normally but the f**kwits at defra are still checking my application despite applying last year, I suppose at least I will get the higher rate of £13/m rather than £9.40 when I do start, but at this rate it will be next year.

They must be reading the forum, someone just phoned me to apologise for the delay and they've backdated the start to 1st Feb, I've had to come inside for a coffee and a sit down to recover from the shock!

Suffolk Serf · Feb 9, 2023

Widgetone said:
A fairly large stockless arable farm near me is busy laying hedges.
Nice but 'different' around here, I wonder if this is at the owners whim, or are there grants available for anyone applying?
As far as I know, there no incoming livestock plans.

If that's the one that i'm thinking of (and there aren't too many) one of the men laying it is on twitter a lot and writes well for various magazines.

Bucks Boy · Feb 9, 2023

Just started doing some this week for the parish council.

Northdowns Martin · Feb 9, 2023

We hosted a hedge laying course about 10 years back, lot of interest but also high drop out after lunch, too cold, too tired, too hard work etc my employee only one to stick at it. Apart from ours we don't see any laid hedges around us in Kent, my guy loves doing it especially next to roads and byways due to the interest from passer-by's. As said previous finding and cutting binders is difficult. Thinking of planting a hazel plantation to help us out

Tubbylew · Feb 9, 2023

S J H said:
Thank you, was thinking they’ll be a lot of demand if the rates have increased how they have and it will put some money back into the woodland

Stakes and binders are difficult to come by over here, particularly binders, it can be alot of work hunting them out of overstood hazel, but once the coppice is in rotation it's much easier and the material is a lot better quality.

Massey Ferguson 6480 · Feb 9, 2023

Were simple up in cumbria and dont use stakes or binders. Just lay it over

Tubbylew · Feb 9, 2023

Todays effort

A bit more pleaching, then chuck all these on.

Northdowns Martin · Feb 9, 2023

Any advise on coppicing a hedge heavily contaminated with ivy? We've levelled 100m so far don't know whether to rake roots out and risk damaging hedge out or treat stems with roundup. in hindsight grubbing and replant would be easier although receiving grant to coppice

Boohoo · Feb 9, 2023

Massey Ferguson 6480 said:
Were simple up in cumbria and dont use stakes or binders. Just lay it over

Same here. Cut out the stuff that's too big to lay, bend the rest over whatever way it needs to go to fill the gaps and hope it grows.

Ali_Maxxum · Feb 9, 2023

What is the end goal with laying some certain hedges?

I've had some people leave perfectly good, stock proof, very bird friendly hedges, black thorn and holly, trim up beautifully, like a picture, all completely cut out to be left with the hazel which gets laid and makes the WORST 'hedge' to then have a brand new stock fence put against it. Just an airy, gappy, sparse mess that fills with bracken and weed.

I honestly, blame Countryfile.

Some of the best hedges we used to trim ended up being left and eventually being laid and are now some of the worst to trim up, despite my best efforts of growing up in stages and trying to maintain some shape, rather than a square box with all the growth in the top.

Lapwing · Feb 9, 2023

The essence of decent hedgelaying is the regrowth. The pleachers ( the diagonal stems cut to leave a hinge) should form a stock proof living barrier, shelter for birds & animals, & protection from grazing for the new shoots, but the important bit is the new shoots coming from below the cut on the stem. They will be the future hedge, & should be several stems where previously there was just one. A well laid hedge should be far thicker at the base, not gappy, & with plenty of new shoots coming from low at the base.

New growth on old roots.

It is really just coppicing without the prairie phase. The different regional styles evolved to suit circumstances, materials, & needs, but they are all really just the hinged pleacher & a means of holding in in place for a year or two until the new growth comes up through to take on the job

This is one from a couple of years ago. The new shoots are out the top now, and a far better hedge than before laying. We use about 12 species in our planting mix: I’m not too keen on a lot of hazel as it is fiddly to lay compared to hawthorn etc

BAW · Feb 10, 2023

With the grants available in England for hedging, now would be the time to start doing it rather than flailing every year. Claim this hedgerow standard and leave them grow up for so long and then claim a capital grant to hedge them down. About the best paying thing I’ve seen so far from the new SFI.

Any one hedge laying??

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100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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