Hawthorn hedge - should I cut it in half?

[spandit]

Just planted 100 of the 200 40-50cm whips I bought to make a dog resistant boundary along my neighbour's fence, which is in a poor state of repair. Sure I read somewhere that once they're planted, they should be cut in half to make them bushier lower down or is this a myth? Do cuttings ever sprout, with a bit of rooting compound on them?

[Woodworks]

22 minutes ago, spandit said:

Just planted 100 of the 200 40-50cm whips I bought to make a dog resistant boundary along my neighbour's fence, which is in a poor state of repair. Sure I read somewhere that once they're planted, they should be cut in half to make them bushier lower down or is this a myth? Do cuttings ever sprout, with a bit of rooting compound on them?

If it were mine I would  let them grow up a for a few years and then lay them for a very dense hedge. 

[spandit]

Just now, Woodworks said:

If it were mine I would  let them grow up a for a few years and then lay them for a very dense hedge. 

Good plan. If they're tall and bushy, the dog won't be able to jump over them, which is the idea. Hopefully once they're thick enough to lay, they'll be too wide for her to consider jumping

[miker]

I would let it settle in and grow for a year before you cut it, 

[agg221]

On 31/03/2021 at 16:32, spandit said:

Do cuttings ever sprout, with a bit of rooting compound on them?

Yes, but it isn't really the right time for it.

 

You are likely to get most success from softwood cuttings, taken from this year's shoots when they have grown enough to become stiff but not crack when bent - probably May/June. You cut off the soft top, strip all but the top couple of leaves and stick them in a pot full of perlite/vermiculite, or sand, get it damp, put the pot in a bag or a cut up clear 2l plastic drink bottle and put it on a windowsill that doesn't get direct sunlight. I do elm this way, about 15 cuttings to the pot so you can get over 100 plants eventually on 2ft of windowsill. Once rooted they need hardening off and growing on until the autumn before planting out.

 

The alternative which is less effort but lower success rate is to take cuttings just as the leaves fall and plant them outdoors in pots of sand plunged into the ground. Once they have rooted and leafed out they can be lined out in a bed and grown on for a year.

 

Both the above will give you much smaller plants than you would be buying as whips but you can either grow them on for another year or plant them out and take more care to keep the weeds off.

 

Alec

[gary112]

On 31/03/2021 at 16:32, spandit said:

Just planted 100 of the 200 40-50cm whips I bought to make a dog resistant boundary along my neighbour's fence, which is in a poor state of repair. Sure I read somewhere that once they're planted, they should be cut in half to make them bushier lower down or is this a myth? Do cuttings ever sprout, with a bit of rooting compound on them?

You can always grow some from seed by extracting them from the berries

[woody paul]

Plant a hawthorn hedge years ago for a customer, plants were 60cm tall with massive root's once planted she said can you cut them back so we decide to cut them 4 inches high. 

Well what a hedge after about 5 years. 

[Nopedigree]

Could someone please advise how old (trunk diameter?) hawthorn needs to be before laying for the first time? The hedge is 7 years old and currently cut at about 6 foot tall. When it’s time to lay should I leave that summers growth, ie no trimming the year it will be layer in the winter? Finally anyone near Ludlow that lays hedges on here?

 

thanks.

 

NoPedigree

[gary112]

1 minute ago, Nopedigree said:

Could someone please advise how old (trunk diameter?) hawthorn needs to be before laying for the first time? The hedge is 7 years old and currently cut at about 6 foot tall. When it’s time to lay should I leave that summers growth, ie no trimming the year it will be layer in the winter? Finally anyone near Ludlow that lays hedges on here?

 

thanks.

 

NoPedigree

I live just the other side Tenbury

[gary112]

8 hours ago, Nopedigree said:

Could someone please advise how old (trunk diameter?) hawthorn needs to be before laying for the first time? The hedge is 7 years old and currently cut at about 6 foot tall. When it’s time to lay should I leave that summers growth, ie no trimming the year it will be layer in the winter? Finally anyone near Ludlow that lays hedges on here?

 

thanks.

 

NoPedigree

Here’s one i layed this winter,it had been kept trimmed at about 6/7 ft and then let grow for 12 months