LAST week’s Teagasc hedgerow webinars brought farmers the latest research on native hedgerows, led by a variety of contributors sharing their expertise and experience.

The webinars are now available online if you missed them and include:

  • The state of Ireland’s hedgerows
  • Biodiversity of hedges
  • Hedge cutting
  • Food from hedges
  • Planting hedges
  • The value of native provenance trees and hedging stock and how to reduce health risks to them

    • Quick Guide To Hedgerow Planting:

    What should I plant?

    Species of native provenance (sourced in Ireland from hedgerows) and plant as two-year-old bare-rooted whips.

    Whitethorn is by far the best species to plant for a good robust and generous hedge. It thrives on trimming and gives great structure to the hedge.

    Blackthorn similarly gives a good hedge structure and also with the benefit of sloes.

    Holly is a beautiful, evergreen hedge but it is very slow-growing and although a fully grown hedge is bull-proof in its robustness, it is a better idea to disperse Holly between faster growing species.

    Other native plants to add into a hedge are the glorious Spindle trees with their pink ‘cardinal hat’ fruits and Guelder Rose with its waxy red berries making for beauty as well as practicality.

    You can also add Dog Rose or Honeysuckle, both climbers, but it is vital to use wild varieties and not ornamental varieties.

    How do I plant a hedgerow?

    It is by far the simplest to use a mini digger to turn over the earth and then you can easily slide the spade in and plant the whips.

    Plant six whips per metre in double, staggered rows, about a foot between plants and rows.

    Once in the ground be brave and clip them right back to an inch above ground-level, but for example in a 100-metre hedge, leave five trees as single stems to grow into trees.

    Clipping the others back will ensure multiple stems and the hedge structure required.

    Weeds are the biggest threat to a young hedge and so use compostable film or old silage plastic to push down over the plant to keep moisture in, light out and give the plant room to grow.

    Erect a single-line electric fence (if there are no youngstock in field) and allow room for hedge-cutters to reach it as it grows over the five years to full-height.

    View all of the webinars online and view a full list of contributors via the Teagasc website at https://www.teagasc.ie/environment/biodiversity--countryside/farmland-habitats/hedgerows/hedgerow-week-/