The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Techniques and skills => Topic started by: reedos on January 18, 2012, 03:22:30 pm
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Does anybody do it themselves, if so how did you learn?
If you "get a man" in - what is the approximate cost?
Ta ;D
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I know a lad that makes a real good job o laying hedges but he is in Worcestershire so maybe jst far enough away from you. I will tryt and remember to ask him what the normal costs of laying are.
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The last hedge we had laid 5 years ago cost £3 a metre plus hedging stakes.
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i would definitly try that myself, i would think it all depends on the nature of the wood you intend to layer and make the stakes as you went along, a good skill to learn in my book.
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Look at http://www.hedgelaying.org.uk/ (http://www.hedgelaying.org.uk/) it might be helpful. It's one of those skills that was dying out when I was a kid so it's mostly a hobby now rather than a farming skill. That said OH just laid a length of one of our hedges using stakes and a bill hook. She learnt for fun in the 70s.
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I've watched a local competition and it looks real hard work done at speed. Spoke to an old chap who kindly explained the finer points, or edges, of a billhook. Get a second hand one as new steel is too soft he said. Cut down a long handled version so the handle left gives balance. Have you seen the prices, they are classed as 'collectables'? Bought a new Morris 'Devon' instead. The steel is very good but it took 3 hours with a stone to get a fine edge on it (could shave with it mind). Avoided the model with a sharp point at the end of the blade- accident waiting to happen I thought. After using it I realised I could have handled a heavier one and wish I'd bought one with a straight chopping blade on top (just like the ones in the competition), as I used an axe a lot instead. So I'm going to have to buy another Morris soon.
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I learnt to do it when I worked for the NT as a warden. I'm no expert and don't think I could "hire" myself out, but I will do our hedges when then regrow (they had gotten overgrown so I decided to cut them all down and start from scratch)
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Anybody worth engaging will be £8 -£10 per metre plus stakes round here.
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I always liked the Yorkshire bill hook, one of the doubled edged variety, for general work because of its extra weight but I was never any good at hedge laying. Friends who were competent seemed each to have their own preferences. The Yorkshire is much more hazardous when it gets a bit crowded.
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the prices is around £12 per m around the west country. I found a nice many handed billhook for £3 in Tetbury
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That's what I call lucky Anderso. New Morris double edge is £35.
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Hi,
I learned with British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) when I went on a hedge laying course. My husband learned from Lantra Training - not sure if they are still going. I have a good BTCV book called "Hedging a practical handbook" by Alan Brooks and Elizabeth Agate - I expect its still in print and BTCV have a web site so there may be advice there.
We're into doing our hedges the traditional way - even if husband does it with a chainsaw - I prefer my staffy bill hook but it takes ages. If you like, I can post some pictures tomorrow.
Liz
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Let's see the pics.
OH was also taught hedgelaying by the BTCV when she was field staff. She still has the handbook, 30 years later, it's probably the same
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How do you post photos? I'm really struggling but I'm new to this so that's not surprising.
I've been round the farm this morning and taken photos from hedges we did 15 years ago when we didn't know what we were doing to a hedge we planted in 2003 and laid in 2010/2011. There's also one that we are in the process of laying this winter. The sun is shining too so there's blue sky and shadows - I haven't seen that for ages.
I'm writing an essay at the moment (I'm a student nurse) so I'll post as soon as it drives me mad and I need a break - but I can't work out how to do it so I'll need an idiots guide.
Liz
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Underneath the reply box wot I'm typing in is a label saying Attachments and other options. Open this and it has some choices followed by Attach and choose file
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You are clever - thanks
Here's the hornbeam hedge which was planted in 2003 ish and then laid 2 years ago. The photos will come in instalments as there's limits to the file size.
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Here's some close ups of the pleaching and stakes put in to weave the young trees in and out. Hopefully you can see that the pleach is starting to heal over.
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This is a mostly beach hedge which has been left to grow up for about 30 years. A bit too big for conventional laying but sufficient material to make a sheep proof barrier at the top of the stone faced bank (or Devon hedge).
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The young hornbeam hedge is about 10 meters long and took about an hour in the dark to lay and about the same next day to clear up.
The old beach hedge on top of the bank, with ground crew doing the clearing, takes about an hour to do 3 meters. Its a bit more complex than it looks as the other side is onto a road so you need someone in the road stopping cars when trees are coming down so that adds yet another person to the mix. Clearing up this hedge is taking ages and the trunks are so twisted having grown in a hedge that it's a lot of work to turn them into firewood - we did have a nice fire in the field for November 5th though.
What I'm trying to say is - it's really difficult to work out how much someone will want per meter because each hedge is different.
I've got one more photo of what not to do.
Hope that helps.
Liz
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In this photo which is a first ever attempt which has remained on the farm as motivation to do better.
The pleaches have been done too far up the trunk, leaving gaps underneath. The problem with this is that over the next 30 years until the next time this hedge is layed, the Devon bank will erode downwards, at the same time, the still living pleach will send shoots upwards, blocking out the light and surpressing undergrowth at the same time. These three factors combine to leave gaps between the lays and the bank into which livestock can crawl and then make runs. This, in this case, is exacerpated by a very healthy rabbit population which all conspire to make this a barrier which is not sheep proof. The photo is taken from the road where sheep wander but thankfully so far have not thought to attempt to break through and on the inside, we have secondary fencing keeping the sheep in.
And another thing - if its needed, the layed trees were not staked down and their ends were left springing up, which was fairly insignificant when the ends were small but they then grew in that position and so now are a long bent stem - still growing, which is good, but ugly as anything.
We don't get the man with the flail in as when the hedges are allowed to grow up they give a nice straight undamaged stem for pleaching in 30 years time.
Thats all folks
Liz
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Thanks for these. It's got us all enthusiastic to do ours, though we may wait for the freezing fog to disperse!
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To learn a bit about it, I just watched it being done. A wonderful craft. There's a fair bit about it on t'internet too.
:farmer: