Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:26 pm
You have made your choice and bought hedge plants that perfectly fit your garden. You have received from us the delivery times. Now you just need to make sure that your garden is well prepared for a new hedge. It is best to make the preparations directly on the day of delivery. The reason is simple: the less time the hedge plants spend out of the ground, the better. This way you prepare the garden for the hedge to grow well in your garden.
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Weed the weeds
Weeds take nutrients away from hedge plants. The roots of weeds are closer to the surface and also take away water from your hedge. This is easy to avoid. Thoroughly remove all weeds by the roots around the hedge planting hole. Weed by hand or use appropriate garden tools, but be careful not to let the weed’s seeds fall back into the soil. Otherwise, there will be more weeds in no time.
If necessary, you can also use a short-acting weed killer before planting the hedge. Apply the weed killer one to two weeks before the new hedge is delivered. This will prevent any residue from the product from damaging the hedge. Weed killer will cause the weeds to die, but we recommend removing the dead plant residue anyway. Remove all the weeds around your hedge within half a meter.
Dig a hole for the hedge
Now you know where the hedge will be placed and the ground is free of weeds. You can dig a trench or a series of planting holes where the hedge plants will be placed. For a long hedge, the easiest thing to do is to dig a trench. The trench should be about 35 inches wide and at least 50 inches deep. The ideal depth is about one and a half times the height of the root ball or roots of the plant. Be sure to dig in a straight line. Simply tighten a string to two sticks and stick them into the ground where you want the hedge to be.
Drain the soil
It is important for the health of your hedge that it does not stand in water. Plants love water, but too much water will damage the roots. Especially for hedge plants that are sensitive to wet soil, such as beech, yew or other conifers, good drainage is essential. This is not only true for heavy soils. Therefore, poke a few holes at the bottom of the planting hole so that excess water can easily drain away and the roots of the hedge are not flooded.
Loosen the soil in the trench
On a loose soil, the roots of the new hedge can easily find their way and spread. Therefore, it is important that you loosen the soil beforehand. This is not particularly difficult to do. Shovel the soil at the bottom of the planting hole. Or dig the hole deeper and then return some excavated soil. Don’t forget to poke a few deep holes for drainage beforehand.
For clay soils or other heavy soils, mix the excavated soil with sand. This will loosen even the heaviest soils.
Prepare roots for planting
Now is the moment when the plants are delivered. Before you actually put the plants in the ground, you should prepare the roots well. Of course, this also depends on what kind of plants you have ordered. Our ready hedges are delivered in a container made of biodegradable cardboard. You can put the plant directly into the ground with the cardboard. For hedge plants with root balls, the packaging is very important. All these root balls should be watered before planting. If the root ball is wrapped with wire, remove it first. You do not need to remove a jute wrapping.
Hedge plants in pots are actually the luxury version of plants with root balls. The root ball is in the pot and the plants can even stay in the pot for some time if the weather on the day of delivery turns out to be less than ideal for planting. If it rains heavily and the planting trench is full of water, simply wait to plant. Remove the pot from the root ball before planting to keep the roots intact. Have you ordered bare-root hedge plants? Then remove the packing material and carefully spray the roots with water. Then carefully place them in the ground.