Hedge laying...maximum diameter?

[Ian C]

I've laid upto 12" too!

he he he... sorry, couldn't help myself...

 

you been out with some strange men gaynor....12" i aint folding it in arf for no one....lol

[David oakman]

Steve i thought you had enough feathers in your cap without taking up hedge laying LOL:001_smile:

Gaynor i cannot believe you said that.:001_smile:

[antwood]

Maximum diameter for laying, depends on what the hedge is like and what you want to do with it. If it's really big overgrown and full of big gaps, with little regrowth we often tend to coppice the big stuff off, fence and replant as it's past keeping as a hedge, it's just a line of trees. However if you are a cheap skate like me and my farmer neighbours you lay what you've got regardless of size, if it comes down all well and good, if it snaps off then you swear at it; I've been doing an overgrown one of mine this winter and have layed some elderberry stems that are 10-12'' diam. Trouble is if you lay lots of big stuff you struggle to get a good angle for the pleaches and it ends up very flat to the floor. t'other thing I was taught is you aren't laying it for yourself but for the next bloke who comes to do it in 25yrs time!!!

[Steve Bullman]

Steve i thought you had enough feathers in your cap without taking up hedge laying LOL:001_smile:

 

definetly not something i want to be involved with mate. a company i climb for are laying a hedge, it just got me curious thats all

[antwood]

definetly not something i want to be involved with mate. a company i climb for are laying a hedge, it just got me curious thats all

 

Give it a try... you can't beat a satisfying lay!

[Steve Bullman]

if it was all small stuff id be up for a go, but as it is, it just looks like a pain in the butt job to me.....i'll stick to climbing i think!

[garth mc garth]

saw a strange way of hedgelaying in ireland once, definately not pretty in any way but they would partially sever stems with saw blade mounted on tractor hedgecutter then with a 360 excavator and bulking bucket they would beat the hedge down to a pulp. looked terrible but after seeing results of previous years efforts it wasnt too bad

[Quickthorn]

t'other thing I was taught is you aren't laying it for yourself but for the next bloke who comes to do it in 25yrs time!!!

 

That's some good advice there.

 

When you get to 12" plus, you can sometimes find it very brittle, with a tendency for the grain to run out..this seems to be worse on sand land. That, plus the weight, makes it difficult. Coppicing is often a better option.

 

If you have to lay these bigger ones, I'd suggest getting as much weight as possible out of the top of the stem before you start to lay, so you can handle it and it won't flatten what you've laid before. You won't need all that height anyway. Also, laying at the start or the end of the season, when there's still some sap up, or sap is starting to rise, is better on bigger ones as the wood is less brittle.

 

Laying big hedges is a slow process..sometimes, you're down to 10 yds a day.