1 year old trees/hedgerow - prune or not?

[JBLC]

Hello

Around this time last year I planted about 20m of new hedgerow. I bought a hedgerow pack from the Woodland Trust which included hawthorn, hazel, crab apple, Dog rose and holly.

I have attached a photo of what they look like now. I've seen some vids on YouTube specifically about a hawthorn hedge and they say to chop the hawthorns back down to around 5" above the floor. Is that what I should be doing? 

What about the other species?

 

Thanks in advance 

[Stere]

Trimming them will be fine it  make them bush up.

 

 

 

 

Why did you  plant a hedge by another one?

 

 

Will turn into  an extra wide hedge thats harder to reach the top top trim & they will grow crooked towards the light

 

Also the gravel - why?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 09:07 by Stere

[david lawrence]

I was wondering the same thing 

might be a bit dry for the new hedge plants competing with existing hedge 

nice and weed free thou with the gravel but plants might prefer an organic mulch of compost or leaf mould 

[MattyF]

Personally I would not prune anything until after 2-3 years of being planted , they are still finding there feet and adapting to change in the growing environment. 

[peds]

They do say to give hedgerow plants a stiff haircut, up to 66%, as you put them in the ground. This removes the apical meristem and encourages branching and bushiness, and of course no matter how delicately you plant them you've still ripped them out of the ground and messed their roots up, so they simply can't support the entirety of their above-ground selves.

 

These ones haven't just been planted though... they are a year in. Personally, I'd either give them 33%, or not bother until they are a bit bigger.

 

And sweep up the gravel, remove the mypex (if present... gravel and mypex usually appear together), and replace with cardboard and woodchip, or just woodchip.