What care does a willow hedge need?

The most important thing is to prepare the landing site for the green fence. Caring for willow hedges consists of proper feeding. In order for the willow hedge to grow faster, nitrogen fertilizers must be applied to the soil in the summer. Also, trim your hedge at least three times per season. Then the willow will form more growth, and the green fence will become denser.

Planting hedges

A willow hedge is a series of willow twigs connected together. As a rule, the ligaments are made the same width - 1 meter, but the so-called skeleton of the hedge can be of different heights (from 1.5 to 4.5 m). In order for the willow to take root well, for planting, you need to dig a trench 1/5 of the height of the twigs. The soil in the trench should be well watered and then a section of the fence should be planted. In the first year after planting, willow, like any other plant, forms a root system. Therefore, the hedge must be watered abundantly, and the soil next to it must be mulched. In early spring, when planting, for better survival of willow twigs, it is necessary to add nitroammofosk to the soil.

Problems that a hedge can help get rid of

Willow hedges are excellent wind protection. The twigs in the bundle are located close to each other and are securely fastened. Because of this, they grow together into one monolithic fence already in the second year after planting. If you want the site to look nice, plant around it hedge from the willow. In spring, the willow is covered with golden flowers, which attract pollinating insects to the site. The smell of these flowers repels some pests, such as aphids.

Willow hedges can also help get rid of stagnant water if you plant it in a place where moisture accumulates. In this case, the willow hedge is not watered, caring for it consists only in cutting the fence.

Hedge trimming

The hedge is trimmed three times a year. For a strong overgrowth of the hedge, pruning is best done every month of summer.

Use an electric hedge trimmer or garden shears for pruning, as it is inconvenient to shape willow with pruning shears. Try to cut willow shoots at different angles so that the young shoots are intertwined and look more aesthetically pleasing.

If you purchase a bundle of twigs 1.5 m high, then you can grow a hedge 1.8 m high. You can calculate the height of the fence using the formula: bundle height + 30 cm growth. Further, willow branches begin to slope towards the ground. The fence will become too overgrown and can only be trimmed with an electric brush cutter.