The message
from Richard Savage contains these words:

Good morning. I am new to the group so please forgive any stupidity or
omitted information in the following questions:

I had a Lawson Cypress hedge removed 3 winters ago and the remaining
stumps gone over with a stump grinder. I say hedge, but the largest
trunk was over 12" in diameter so row of trees might be more accurate.
The tree were, according to the neighbours at least 25 years old.

Nothing has been done to the ground since the trees were felled.

I am going to replant the hedge with a variety of trees and have
successfully applied to the Free Tree Scheme. Thus I will be receiving
75 mixed trees - none more than 80 cm high (are these called whips?)- in
early December.

What should I do - or should I have done - to prepare the ground for
planting. I intend planting in 3 parallel rows and staggering the
varieties along the rows.

All of my previous tree and hedge planting has been either in woodland
to replace gaps or planting new hedges along the edges of fields.

FWIW I'm at the bottom of a chalk downland slope and the soil is heavy
and can be damp. The chalky soil starts about 2' below the clay-ey
surface. The hedge will be running north to south and on the east side
of a 6' fence.

A few of the trees will be planted in the north facing front garden
where the soil is much lighter, but still quite damp.

I think you've supplied enough info - and maybe ten times more than many
new posters.

Welcome to a new Urgler.

It rather depends on whether you want a quick-growing hedge that will
grow into a skinny belt of trees, or whether you are going to maintain
it as a hedge.

If you want vigorous growth, you'll need to improve the soil with humus
of some sort, and with a fertiliser, for instance, bonemeal, or bone,
blood and fish.

Bonemeal by itself should be incorporated with the soil at the bottom of
the trench/individual pit before planting, bone, blood and fish is
better (IMO) higher - amongst the roots and just beneath them.

Keep the roots well-supplied with water for the first year at least. You
may need to protect the whips from rabbits (and maybe, deer), and
forestry suppliers sell coils of plastic trunk-protector, but if you are
troubled by deer, you might benefit from an electric fence and its
associated sheep-netting.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
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