Hedge-Cutting Machinery: Technology & AI in the World of Hedges

As nurserymen, we still see on a daily basis the way trees and plants grow and the nuances and challenges of different varieties and changing seasons.  Some of our larger sizes of plants might take 5 years for us to grow so knowing how to get the best growth out of our plants is absolutely imperative for such a long-term venture.  There are some tasks that we need to perform at exactly the right time to ensure optimal growth.  If we miss the window for doing certain tasks, we might miss the boat for a whole year, therefore putting our production well behind.  In a world of AI and technology, we cannot produce our plants instantaneously and patience must be a virtue of ours.  That being said, we have embraced modern technology to make our lives easier and produce better quality plants in a more efficient manner.

In this article, we delve into some of the key bits of machinery that we use on the nursery to make our lives easier.

How the Process Begins…

The start of the process involves lining out young plants in our fields.  The field is prepared for two or three years before planting and when the time is right, it is ploughed, harrowed and rolled to create a level planting bed.  Then, a tractor mounted planting machine is used to drill holes for the young plants.  This is typically carried out in the autumn or spring depending on the weather and soil conditions.  Tractor hedge cutters fitted with highly accurate GPS technology ensure that they drive in a perfectly straight line and our planting machine will drill holes at the exact distance apart that we require and to the exact depth.  As the tractor is driving along the rows, it does not stop; our highly automated hole drilling machine just keeps going and automatically reconfigures itself to ensure the next holes are drilled at the right distance apart.  After the hole is drilled, the machine then automatically applies a set dose of fertiliser into the bottom of the hole before the tree is planted. 

Specialist Trimming Machines

Throughout the growing season, our plants need to be trimmed mechanically to make a uniform shape and diameter and to encourage plenty of new bushy growth.  We carry out this task with a specialist trimming machine that drives over the top of each plant and is automatically trimmed with a tall trimming blade.  Pruning is absolutely vital to encouraging new bushy growth and this machine certainly saves us a lot of back breaking work that would otherwise be carried out with a handheld hedge trimmer!

Root Pruning Technology

In the autumn, shortly before their final burst of growth, we root prune all of our plants.  This is carried out for two main reasons.  Firstly, pruning the roots at exactly the right time ensures new root growth before their dormant period in the winter.  This secondary growth is much more fibrous and helps them to establish significantly better when they are planted out in your garden.  Secondly, root pruning at the correct time also ensures that the rootball is not too big when it comes to digging it and wrapping it in hessian for sale.  The way we carry this out is twofold.  First of all, we have an underground blade that is winched along underneath the roots to cut them off at a set depth.  After this, a root pruning spade machine drives over the top and cuts downwards into the soil at a set width/diameter.

Rootballing Machinery

Finally, when the plant or tree is ready for sale, we use a variety of machines depending on size and species including this one shown below which we refer to on the nursery as the “giant ice cream scoop”.  Essentially, it is a giant ice cream scoop that digs a perfect ball of soil around the roots of the tree and lifts it out all in one piece ready to be wrapped in hessian.   Without this machine, it would all have to be undertaken by hand with spades - which would not be very enjoyable!

Find out more about rootballed hedging.

60 Years of Hedge Growing

There is, of course, a lot more to it than this and these videos make our work seem incredibly simple and straightforward.  Ultimately, with all the technology in the world, there is only so far that this can help us and a huge amount of knowledge of when to carry out the various operations on various varieties is an art and a skill of judgement, taking into account each individual plant and the prevailing weather conditions at the time.  This art and skill has been learnt by us over three generations and is not something that can be read in a textbook.  We are incredibly proud of our heritage as nurserymen and even more proud of the quality of stock that we produce.

With many varieties of hedging for sale and 1000’s of happy customers, shop our hedges online today, or get in touch for guidance.