Author Topic: Hawthorn help please (Read 7467 times)

mojocafa · « **on:** June 09, 2013, 09:29:43 pm »

My oh decided in his wisdom to cut our hawthorn hedge right back. All of the cut branches were given to the goats to nibble on, but we are still left with a tremendous amount.
I am thinking of hiring a shredder to aid clearing it up. Does anyone have any experience of using a shredder. Will it shred to the point of resembling sawdust, if so, can this be used for goat and chicken shed?
Could it be compacted for brickettes for wood burner in winter?

Any suggestions welcome
Mojo

doganjo · « **Reply #1 on:** June 09, 2013, 09:33:21 pm »

My leylands were stripped down a bit and a pro shredder used - the consistency is a bit bigger than sawdust, I'm now using it as a mulch as it's been sitting since February so all the baddies will have leached out by now.

Still playing with tractors · « **Reply #2 on:** June 20, 2013, 12:07:59 pm »

Hi a chipper or shredder will not give you sawdust. it will just chip it as the person above found. I normally chip branches into the base of the hedge so it will brake down slowly and provide a good habitat for bugs and grubs etc that in turn helps the birds.

shygirl · « **Reply #3 on:** June 20, 2013, 04:27:15 pm »

i had 2 shredders and broke 2 shredders in quick succession. ours just made mulch for garden paths.
our goats eat ours then the rest get burnt.

graham-j · « **Reply #4 on:** June 20, 2013, 08:05:15 pm »

Hi,probably a stupid question but why don't you just burn it.

Graham.

mojocafa · « **Reply #5 on:** June 20, 2013, 09:57:09 pm »

I would love to burn it, unfortunately though I have a complete f¥€}wit as a neighbour who s allergic to smoke!!!

mojocafa · « **Reply #6 on:** June 20, 2013, 10:02:22 pm »

Sorry that I responded in such away. Did you mean burn it outside or could I burn it in wood burner in house

graham-j · « **Reply #7 on:** June 21, 2013, 10:39:16 am »

Hi,I think you responded correctly the first time,they sound like complete A***holes.
There always seems to be one know matter where you go.
We had one they actually complained about smoke coming out of are chimney.

Yes sorry I meant burn it as in on a bonfire.Now I know sorry.

Graham.

ferretkeeper · « **Reply #8 on:** June 22, 2013, 04:24:16 pm »

Only thing to watch with shredding is the prickles are still there! No good for composting, I'd be careful with animals bedding too, even though they eat prickly things they're bound to get a thorn in the wrong place.

Burning - good plan, a bonfire seems like a waste, why not trim it and dry it out for the wood burner? Shredded wood is hard to get dry, or even stop from rotting if it's left in a pile.

PS Have equally ridiculous neighbours, but people still burn coal round here so can't say much to us

wonderwooly · « **Reply #9 on:** June 22, 2013, 09:12:37 pm »

yes burning in situeis fine but also give back to the land what it has given so like the
last post said. be cafull of thorns, hedgers will tell you that blackthorn in particular is not fun to be stabbed with, there is a virus you can pick up from bird poo on the thorn,
so may be is best just stick it strait in to a gap of a hedge mushed up, or use as dead hedge.

also remember wherever you burn on a field you will find nettle next year,they like it?

shygirl · « **Reply #10 on:** June 22, 2013, 09:34:35 pm »

i can vouch for blackthorn being absolutely painful

from experience i wouldnt bother putting it in the woodburner - it takes ages to cut it small enough, disappears quickly and invariably prickles you, especially if you collect your firewood in the dark

even rose hedging gives nasty little splinters.

Bramblecot · « **Reply #11 on:** June 24, 2013, 12:10:40 pm »

Lots of hawthorn and blackthorn hedges here which were over 20' high

. Advise your neighbour (

sweetly) that you will be having one large bonfire and suggest they go out for the evening or close their windows. IMO (painful experience) hawthorn is a devil to put through a shredder and a good bonfire is the easiest answer. The logs we use in a woodburner and or make log piles for insects.

mojocafa · « **Reply #12 on:** June 24, 2013, 03:12:02 pm »

Thanks to all for suggestions and advice. I have got myself a shredder and am painfully trying to get through it. I would just love to have a bonfire however couldn't be doing with all the crap from the neighbours. Got enough stress in my life at the mo without her adding to it.

Smallholder Sam · « **Reply #13 on:** June 25, 2013, 03:41:38 pm »

After laying a hedge, and instead of using it directly for mulch or burning it in situ, we shredded a load of hawthorn that was too small to bother with for the log burner (too many prickles for kindling really) along with some hazel we had spare. We then used the Jean Pain method of composting which resulted in a fairly decent mulch that wasn't too prickly... Leaving it for another another 6 months might have resulted in decent compost but we needed the space.

I'm loath to burn brash, would much rather put it to better use and retain the nutrients along the way. Jean Pain compost was pretty good and we've used hawthorn for dead hedging as well. We still have a big pile of the stuff waiting to be shredded - pretty sure we have a birds nest in there though so it's being left for the mo.