Step-by-step plan for planting hedge plants
The best time to plant hedge plants (both with root balls and bare roots) is roughly between late September and early May, in times when it is not freezing. Weather conditions determine this, so the planting period may be shorter/longer from one year to the next. If planting plants with a root ball or bare roots is no longer possible due to weather conditions, these products are will longer be offered in our web shop.
A hedge plant grown in a pot can be planted all year round, but again not in periods of frost.
Here is a step-by-step plan for planting hedge plants:
- Prepare the soil as described on the soil preparation page. If you follow these steps, you will get off to a good start, which will benefit the growth of the hedge plants. Follow these instructions if you wish to avoid disappointments - this step is half the battle of your growth success!
- Using a spade or shovel, dig a trench (in the already turned soil, see 'soil preparation' above) at least 1.5 times as wide as the root ball of the plants and one to two centimetres deeper than the root ball. If necessary, use a string to ensure that the hedge is placed nice and straight.
- Mix in potting soil or Heijnen Planting soil well with the existing soil in the trench.
- Place the hedge plants in the trench, leaving the burlap sack around the root ball if it was delivered that way. This burlap sack will break down in the soil and hold the soil together, so do not remove it. For potted hedge plants, remove the plastic pot before planting. Next, check that the hedge plants are nice and straight and then spray the root balls with water so that they go into the soil sufficiently moist.
- Backfill the trench with the soil and firmly press the soil around the plants (pressing firmly with your feet). If the soil is not pressed down firmly, the root ball may dry out, because the soil must be properly in contact with the root ball. When doing this, pay close attention that the hedge plants are not placed too high or too low. The proper planting depth is easy to remember: make sure the top of the root ball is slightly below the soil surface. A hedge plant may be planted 1 to 2 cm below the surface, but certainly no deeper. Planting too deep is not good for hedge plants.
- When all the hedge plants are planted, you can neatly till the soil around the plants with a rake. When doing this, be careful not to pull the plants out of the ground; raking lightly over the top layer is sufficient to level the soil nicely. If you want, you can also gather a small 'sand dike' around the hedge so that the water stays around the roots during watering.
- We also recommend spreading fertiliser pellets around the hedge plants (once in March/April and once in June/July, then repeat annually). If necessary, you can scatter a mulch layer (wood chips or cocoa shells) around the hedge plants. This mulch layer prevents weed forming and helps to keep the soil moist.
- You can then water the hedge plants generously. This compacts the soil a bit more, allowing the roots to make better contact with the soil and in doing so, to better form new fibrous roots that are important for the plant's water absorption. The presence of moisture allows the plants to take root.
Especially in the initial period after planting, it is important to water hedge plants on time and generously to keep the soil moist. On sunny, warm days after planting, water almost daily, but always check first whether the soil is still sufficiently moist. If the soil is still sufficiently moist, do not water. After all, too wet is not good either.
When the hedge plants have fully rooted, you don't need to water as much. This is because by that time, the root system will have developed to such an extent that the plant is able to absorb water from the soil itself more easily. It is only in times of persistent drought that the plants require watering. In those cases, it is better to water generously all at once than a little every day. This also encourages the roots to look for water in the soil.
At first, be careful when using drip hoses. These can partly help with water management, but in the early stages the roots do not yet extend beyond the root ball and a drip hose alone will be insufficient. Because the hedge plant is not yet rooted by then, (extra) water should be applied on and around the root ball with a nozzle. Only when the hedge plant is fully rooted will a drip hose be sufficient.
