Advice on tree and hedge planting

[swinny]

Hi there, got some tree's to plant, and a hedge row soon.

 

I'm planning to plant with compost, hedge row will be done when root ball plants are avaliable, so will be turning the soil over and putting some good ness back in

 

Anyhow just wondering if there are different types of compost? or do you use something else? peat etc?

[Andy Collins]

Mixed hedge? Tbh for a hedge if there is reasonable soil I wouldn't fuss too much, but then I'm in Suffolk which tends to a good planting medium anyway. So I'd just stick em in and mulch well, with whatever is suitable, in some cases straw or composted wood chip, anything to keep the moisture in really.

[coppiceer]

You haven't mentioned species, but in general trees/shrubs do not require high levels of nutrients to thrive. It is far more important to suppress grass and weeds around the roots until they are well established. Sometimes adding nutrients encourages the weeds more than the trees. Unless the soil is little more than building rubble I would leave well alone.

[Arctostaphylos uva-ursi]

I wouldn't bother with the compost. The aim should be to get the roots established in the local soils as early as possible (unless of course there is no soil). Trees do remarkable well on poor soils (which is why there is so much upland forestry). Planting into peat will not encourage the roots into the native soil and may result in more losses than gains.