Management

Traditional Hedge Laying

Hedge laying is a traditional way of maintaining hedges in Lincolnshire and has been carried out for hundreds of years.

As hedges grow they gradually become more tree-like and less bush-like; gaps tend to appear lower down and they cease to be an effective barrier.

It is at this point that the hedge should be ‘laid’, both to fill in the gaps and to ensure the long-term viability of the hedge by promoting vigorous regrowth from the base.

Laying involves cutting nearly all the way through the base of the stems and laying them over at an angle of about 35 degrees.

The cut stems – pleachers – are tucked tightly together, staked vertically and bound horizontally for strength with hazel to produce a strong hedge.

Stumps are left clean and tidy as new shoots will sprout from the already established root system, eventually to grow into a new hedge.

In the meantime the laid pleachers act as a living barrier as well as protecting the regrowth.

 

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