Disposing of 50' of heavy Laurel hedge
Discussion
We have a fairly heavy/deep/tall Laurel hedge that we plan to clear one day and replace with fencing. What is the best way to get rid of it, bearing in mine some of the stems are 4" diameter?
I've thought of hiring one of them shredder machines and feeding it through and into a skip, or would I do better to bag it an take it to the tip over a period of time?
What price is a shredder rental that size?
Obviously the 4" trunks won't shred, but a neighbour said he'd have them for his fire.
Or does someone want a complete pre-grown laurel hedge....?
I've thought of hiring one of them shredder machines and feeding it through and into a skip, or would I do better to bag it an take it to the tip over a period of time?
What price is a shredder rental that size?
Obviously the 4" trunks won't shred, but a neighbour said he'd have them for his fire.
Or does someone want a complete pre-grown laurel hedge....?
King Herald said:
We have a fairly heavy/deep/tall Laurel hedge that we plan to clear one day and replace with fencing. What is the best way to get rid of it, bearing in mine some of the stems are 4" diameter?
I've thought of hiring one of them shredder machines and feeding it through and into a skip, or would I do better to bag it an take it to the tip over a period of time?
What price is a shredder rental that size?
Obviously the 4" trunks won't shred, but a neighbour said he'd have them for his fire.
Or does someone want a complete pre-grown laurel hedge....?
We did a complete front garden full (big enough to get seven cars on, 6ft high pile) of Leylandii, pine, hawthorn with a 5" diesel-powered chipper with four of us feeding it in five hours. The chipper could have done it quicker, but we couldn't put the stuff in fast enough. Filled two 12-yard enclosed skips. The logs that were too big for the chipper filled two bulk-bags that went to a chap at work.I've thought of hiring one of them shredder machines and feeding it through and into a skip, or would I do better to bag it an take it to the tip over a period of time?
What price is a shredder rental that size?
Obviously the 4" trunks won't shred, but a neighbour said he'd have them for his fire.
Or does someone want a complete pre-grown laurel hedge....?
I'd be looking at getting a professional in to trim the hedge back, it'll be better than a fence IMHO.
Laurel can be pruned very hard back - even to ground level and will regenerate quickly. I would coppice all the bushes and allow it to regrow. That way you can maintain a nice dense hedge at the height and width you desire. Saves on the cost of a fence and the associated maintenance problems. Be a bit careful if burning laurel logs on a fire indoors as they do contain some cyanide!
I'd go with the keep the hedge as your barrier route. Laurels can take a lot of abuse, but make sure it is trimmed by someone who knows what they are doing, not a cheap cash job from a mobile-home dweller.
To get rid, chip the branches and give the logs away seperate.
Bonfire? They burn like buggery, expect to warn low flying aircraft of the flames if it gets too carried away, just feed a bit on at a time - it's the oil in the leaves that does it.
To get rid, chip the branches and give the logs away seperate.
Bonfire? They burn like buggery, expect to warn low flying aircraft of the flames if it gets too carried away, just feed a bit on at a time - it's the oil in the leaves that does it.
I quite like the hedge myself, as it has a horse chestnut tree above it and thus gives us a nice green backdrop as we look out the back of the house, but, it is nigh on ten feet thick in places and hogs a whole bunch of garden, some 500 sq ft. SWMBO wants it all out, which would leave a view into the 'council' street that is perpendicular to the rear end of our back garden.
I've thought about trimming it back, but the hedge has grown so wild, for so long, that all the main branches have veered over 6 feet or more towards our direction, looking for sunlight I guess. If it were cut back a yard or two there would be nothing but bare branches left, and stumps sticking up.
I've thought about trimming it back, but the hedge has grown so wild, for so long, that all the main branches have veered over 6 feet or more towards our direction, looking for sunlight I guess. If it were cut back a yard or two there would be nothing but bare branches left, and stumps sticking up.
I cut about 8' of the top of my 40' long Laylandi hedge recently, and figured the easiest way to dispose of it was to hire a shredder. The most powerfull electric one I could get cost me £26 for the weekend, supposed to be aboe to take stuff up to 45mm and it struggled on stuffover about 10mm (I'd left it a week or so to dry out a bit before shredding which is supposed to help), and took me all weekend. If you go the shredder route get a bloody big petrol one.
Laurels will sprout with green shoots from bare wood, yes you'll have a bare time, but if you trim in May, by the end of the season it'll be pretty much covered over again. I know this as my very elderly next door neighbour has laurels growing right up to my boundary and I have frequently chopped the buggers back. The missus used to come out and moan at the brown woodiness, but then a few months later it's all nice and green again, so she doesn't do it any more. When we first moved in I took off about 6 foot of thickness from them.
The most important thing when cutting them is not to let the branches rip any bark back as that can intoduce disease.
The most important thing when cutting them is not to let the branches rip any bark back as that can intoduce disease.
Just taken 90, 10' confiers out of our garden last weekend.
Used a chainsaw to chop the buggers down, then took it to the local dumpit site. 5 VW Transporter (LT28 1.9Tdi) loads full.
Full day chopping down and a full day (3 men) moving it all to the tip.
Total cost £15 for a nice new sharp chain for the saw, and £40 van hire.
PS In the past I've trimmed the bloody trees down and hired a petrol shredder (£80). Don't even bother. The shredders that can cope with the large bits, totally miss the small stuff, and the shredders that can mulch the small stuff get jammed by the larger stuff.
Used a chainsaw to chop the buggers down, then took it to the local dumpit site. 5 VW Transporter (LT28 1.9Tdi) loads full.
Full day chopping down and a full day (3 men) moving it all to the tip.
Total cost £15 for a nice new sharp chain for the saw, and £40 van hire.
PS In the past I've trimmed the bloody trees down and hired a petrol shredder (£80). Don't even bother. The shredders that can cope with the large bits, totally miss the small stuff, and the shredders that can mulch the small stuff get jammed by the larger stuff.
58warren said:
King Herald - do as I suggested earlier and cut back as hard as you want (even to stumps just above ground level). I guarantee it will regrow rapidly although spring may be the best time to do it as otherwise you will have nothing to look at all through winter!
Ahh, so that's what 'coppice' means then. I was going to ask, but forgot.Wife and daughter want a dog, but I'm worried that with no real fence at the back it might get out, or others get in. The security risk also worries me too.
King Herald said:
58warren said:
King Herald - do as I suggested earlier and cut back as hard as you want (even to stumps just above ground level). I guarantee it will regrow rapidly although spring may be the best time to do it as otherwise you will have nothing to look at all through winter!
Ahh, so that's what 'coppice' means then. I was going to ask, but forgot.Wife and daughter want a dog, but I'm worried that with no real fence at the back it might get out, or others get in. The security risk also worries me too.
Laurel is much like Leyland's cypress in that it forms a fast and effective evergreen hedge, but it does require annual formative pruning to maintain as a manageable feature; however unlike Leyland's cypress it can be cut back as hard as you wish and will happily regrow.
Contact timberwolf if you need a shredder. I use a TW 18/100G and it should easily cope with what you want. Should only cost around £100 for a day. Depends on what you want to spend but you can get an arb/tree surgery company with saws and a chipper into at £75 an hour to cut, clear and remove.
My suggestion would be completely clear the laurel (far too invasive shrub in my opinion) and replace it with a mixed thorn hedge along with chestnut palling fence to form a solid barrier for the next few years. Once established they are great for keeping people out, great for local wildlife and easy if maintained will last centuries.
My suggestion would be completely clear the laurel (far too invasive shrub in my opinion) and replace it with a mixed thorn hedge along with chestnut palling fence to form a solid barrier for the next few years. Once established they are great for keeping people out, great for local wildlife and easy if maintained will last centuries.
Edited by richyb on Monday 19th October 22:01
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