Bit too wet for a beech hedge?

[Dilz]

Old forest site cleared 18 months ago and sold as plots. 

 

i got the job grinding the stumps on one lot. 

 

Client insisted on planting trees and hedging before even looking into building a house. 

 

I advised them strongly against this. 

They wanted hedging and mentioned beech and i recommended hornbeam but it was more expensive so they said go with beech and have it planted by the end of 23. 

 

Started digging a trench for the hedge (double row 175 - 200 high plants. 

 

Have now recommended a moat instead of a hedge. 

 

Any thoughts?  Thinking lots of organic matter and get the trees in and hope for the best 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dan Maynard]

Willow or alder.

 

I haven't looked anything up but beech does fabulously on those well drained chalky downlands of Sussex.

[Stere]

 

 

Not sure why such a trench was needed unless its for large trees which will often do worse and require more care staking etc

 

Hornbeam  77p each?

 

Carpinus betulus - Hornbeam

CHEVIOT-TREES.CO.UK

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Carpinus betulus - Hornbeam is an excellent versatile species which can either be used for forestry purposes or for hedging.

 

Smaller trees bare root or cell grown are alot better....

 

 

Beech made struggle as looks like alot of compaction plus heavy clay? etc Also the trench  has probably made the water logging worse....

 

 

Ive seen some beech die on better looking sites ( un compacted clay paddock) due to what i suspect was  winter waterlogging where beech nearby  are thriving in a slightly dryer bit only 20ft away...

 

All hornbeam on the same site survived.

 

Any fall to  stick some drainage pipe along the bottom to drain off to some boundary ditch?

 

 

 

 

[Dilz]

client ordered beech - got 300 of them ready to go in 

[maybelateron]

Client should have heeded your advice, and not penny pinched.

[Stere]

Might well be 300 dead beech without first sorting drainage i reckon.

 

 

[Dilz]

1 minute ago, maybelateron said:

Client should have heeded your advice, and not penny pinched.

yeah its tricky really - in hindsight bare root would have been a better option but when buying treasurer plants i usually recommend container just to give more time for planting and it is what it is i guess as the plants are delivered.

 

I think a big issue is the water table has risen as the trees have been removed as i never saw standing water until today and I've been on the site several times since January but it has been exceptionally wet late summer / earthy autumn.  The trench sides are smeared by the bucket as the trench was dug side on  (long story) but the site isn't actually heavily compacted.

 

  Inspection pits were dug but earlier in the year and when i noted clay that's when i recommended the hornbeam.. we also usually have more of an issue with drought in the area..  the most water in the trench is at the lowest part of the property / area - no ditches nearby to lay a pipe 

[Dilz]

and yes the client wants basically near instant hedge effect - so its 175cm high plants in 7.5ltr pots - they plan to camp on the plot next summer to get a feel for the site but want a bit of privacy 🤔

[Stere]

 

 

How about dig  a soakaway at the  low end.

[Dilz]

was toying with that idea but I'm no expert on such matters... at the furthest - lowest end of the trench  i started digging a pit at the end of the day and will have a look tomorrow but tbh the whole property is going to need some serious drainage sorting as the water table is so high over a large area. Its the first time locally is been an issue - usually locally your lucky to have 6"  of topsoil before getting nothing but rocks and sand