Newbie planning to replant a conifer hedge!!
Laphan
Posts: 1
Hi All
Wondered if you could help me with some guidance re my project from hell!!
We have inherited 55+ 'yellow' conifers that are about 15ft tall and bald from 0-5ft. Many people have advised that the best way to get the privacy that we want is to dig up this hedge and replant another one - so that's what we've planned to do!!
I've been advised to go for Western Cedar trees instead of these Leylandi baldies and these will come as soon as we get the old ones out.
My questions are:
a) Are we right in going for the Western Cedar?
b) We want a full and thick (I want a blackout!) hedge from 0-6/7ft - how far apart should we plant them?
c) Should we leave the ground alone for a while between taking the old out and putting the new in? If so how long?
d) Should we do anything to the soil inbetween the old and new change over?
e) Is there a 'management' bible on how and when to trim the trees to get the blackout effect that we want??
Sorry for all the questions, but thanks for any advice you can give - complete newbie!!!!!!!! 
Posts
Ok - are you planning to dig out the existing hedge or have the hdege cut and the stumps ground out? I think it will take a great deal of effort to dig out the hedge - if you can get a vehicle to pull the plants out it might be a lot easier. Any way, once the hedge has been removed, you will have to do some work on the soil before replanting. All the goodness will have been removed by the previous hedge and it will probably reen]mble dust. You will have to dig in lots of organic matter - compost,, rotted horse manure etc in order to give a new hedge a good chance. You will also have to feed and water it well for the first year or two. While the new hedge grows you could put in some hurdles to give the hedge some shelter (if it is a windy site) or give you some instant privacy.
I am afraid I have no experience with cedar but my neighbour has planted a yew hedge which is very thick and beautiful. He let it grow until it reahed the desired height before trimming the top and only cut back side shoots the came out too wide in order to encourage more side shoots to branch. A hedge is only green on the outside, not in the middle.
Hope this answers some of your queries.