Forum home› Problem solving

Soil quality after removing cupressesus/leylandii hedge

janhebbjanhebb Posts: 3
in Problem solving
Newbie gardener here - I have just removed about 10m of hedge - the soil is bone dry and seems poor. My plan is to work in horse manure over the summer and autumn, then plant espalier or cordon fruit trees against the wall which was behind the hedge. Does this sound viable???

Posts

  • LynLyn DevonPosts: 16,828
    Yes, that’s fine, I’ve done this in two places in our garden, plenty of compost worked in and some chicken pellets may be good.
    I don’t put horse manure straight on the ground but mix it in the compost bins first. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,540
    I'd just pile on loads of well rotted manure and let the worms do the work.. then in the spring dig it over a bit where the trees are going in and plant bare root trees.  Depends on if it's a place you can standing looking at 10m of manure for three seasons. 😁
    Utah, USA.
  • PosyPosy Isle of Wight.Posts: 2,283
    I agree with Lyn. Work the compost and muck into the soil. Worms do take it down but it can take years for soil to recover this way so you need to help it along.
  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 3,511
    Suggest buying a cheap pH testing kit as Conifers can make the soil a bit acidic and fruit trees prefer a slightly alkaline soil. Easy enough to add lime if needed, just not at the same time as the manure.
Sign In or Register to comment.