Best time to trim back hedges and trees?

P

Petal

Registered User
Messages
881
Hi,

I've got some hedges in the front and an apple tree in the back which I want to trim back. The apple tree has never been trimmed or looked after so it's in a right state and needs some good cutting back, but when is the right time to do that? Would now be good, or would the plants be too shocked?
 
Now is a good time for the apple tree , if its been cropping you might leave a few branches untrimmed for 2007 crop and then trim these branches next year . A lick of oil paint ( I have used left over from the garage ) on the larger cuts will stop die back . [broken link removed]

What kind of hedge do you have ?
pjq
 
You are running out of time in relation to the hedge. You cant cut hedes between March and August. Im not 100% sure of the exact date but I believe it is March 1st
 
Nutty ,
are you talking "hedgerow" as in agriculture and REPS ?
pjq
 
pjq said:
Nutty ,
are you talking "hedgerow" as in agriculture and REPS ?
pjq
Click to expand...
Yes and no - if that makes sense. Maybe the REPS covers this matter but AFAIK it applies to all land/hedge owners in line with a bird protection/wildlife directive
 
yes that's correct........and you can find an earlier - long - thread on AAM about hedge-cutting by using the search button.
 
post-script..........if you trim hedges in the next few weeks look out not to disturb early clutches of birds' eggs! Though most species are still nest-building some started early this year, confused by the unseasonal warm weather.
 
Don't bother SEARCHING , you will only find an abusive thread with no useful info , the thread was closed for good reason.
pjq
 
nutty nut said:
You are running out of time in relation to the hedge. You cant cut hedes between March and August. Im not 100% sure of the exact date but I believe it is March 1st
Click to expand...

I think the relevant legislation ( below ) from the Irish Statute Book is confusing because of the use of the word " cultivated " in 1 ( a ) which I have highlighted. Typical domestic gardens are cultivated in that shrubs, trees etc. would usually be planted. Does that mean most of us are exempt regarding when our hedges should be cut . Similarly farmers who harvest Autumn wheat would have cultivated that land a few months before so prior to harvesting the land is cultivated and , so , according to 1( a ) below any hedgerows on that land can be cut during the summer months.

Section 40 of the Wildlife Act 1976 t

(1) (a) It shall be an offence for a person to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy, during the period beginning on the 1st day of March and ending on the 31st day of August in any year, any vegetation growing on any land not then cultivated.
(b) It shall be an offence for a person to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy any vegetation growing in any hedge or ditch during the period mentioned in paragraph (a) of this subsection.

(2) Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply in relation to—
( a ) the destroying, in the ordinary course of agriculture or forestry, of any vegetation growing on or in any hedge or ditch;

( b ) the cutting or grubbing of isolated bushes or clumps of gorse, furze or whin or the mowing of isolated growths of fern in the ordinary course of agriculture;

(c) the cutting, grubbing or destroying of vegetation in the course of any works being duly carried out for reasons of public health or safety by a Minister of the Government or a body established or regulated by or under a statute;

(cc) the clearance of vegetation in the course of fisheries development works carried out by the Central Fisheries Board or a regional fisheries board in the exercise of its functions under the Fisheries Acts, 1959 to 1999;

( d ) the destroying of any noxious weed to which the Noxious Weeds Act, 1936, applies;

( e ) the clearance of vegetation in the development or preparation of sites on which any building or other structure is intended to be provided;

( f ) the removal or destruction of vegetation required by a notice served by the Minister under section 62 (1) of the Act of 1946 to be removed or destroyed;
but this subsection shall not operate to exclude from subsection (1) of this section anything done by burning.

3) The Minister may request from the person concerned details of any works carried out under subsection (2)(c) and such details shall be furnished to the Minister by that person together with a statement of the public health or safety factors involved.
(4) In any proceedings taken in respect of a contravention of this section consisting of the doing of any act, it shall be a good defence to prove that the doing of that act was necessary for the purpose of extinguishing or preventing the spread of a fire while it was in progress or for the purpose of saving human life or was necessary in any other emergency in respect of which that act was an appropriate measure.
 
If you want to go into it , check out the 2000 ammendment [broken link removed]
"(1) (a) It shall be an offence for a person to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy, during the period beginning on the 1st day of March and ending on the 31st day of August in any year, any vegetation growing on any land not then cultivated.



(b) It shall be an offence for a person to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy any vegetation growing in any hedge or ditch during the period mentioned in paragraph (a) of this subsection.",

pjq
 
Thanks for all the help. I didn't even know there was legislation. But the hedge/shrub whatever it is I have in my frontgarden really just requires a little bit of cutting back so to let more light into the room, if there were any birds nests I'd be able to see them. And that apple tree, maybe I'll post a picture over the weekend for advice, after reading what it says on that webpage, it looks in a dreadful state. It's branched off heavily and is really high, but it had loads of apples in summer, although only small ones....
 
The small apples might be because too many were left on the tree , after the "july drop" when small apples fall off by thenselves you should thin the bunches out , in addition last summer was very dry .
pjq
ps not sure about the legislation , it's hard to believe that the government that can't do hospitals, tunnels or voting boxes CAN DO hedge trimming !!
 

I'm not so sure that they have even got that right!
 
Thats because they are always hedging and trimming
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register