| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Bazil |
Trimming hedges in winter?Right, due to being a hectic year and the hedges over-growing and looking a mess, could I trim them back and tidy them up?I was told that it was a bad idea to do it in the winter especially if frost is likely. Most of the hedges are scraggley thorny things. And what about mowing grass? it would get up all the loose leaves and tidy the lawns, but I was also advised against this at this time of year. Any advice? |
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| Nick |
I've always been led to believe, and seen, hedge trimming in the winter. Potentially earlier than now, but, yeah, laying, and mechanised cutting is good now, as they're not growing, and the birds aren't nesting in them. I guess you could trash any remaining berries, but if that can be avoided, I don't think it should be a problem. As for lawns, no idea. | ||
| Bazil |
Thanks for the reply.
I could not see a problem as winter is usually the time to lay hedges, isn't it? and that means cutting through the main stem of the hedges afaik 
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| AnneandMike |
Most pruning is best done in the winter when the plants are dormant. The main exception I can think of is plums because they can pick up silver leaf disease so are best summer pruned. | ||
| alisjs |
definitely do hedges, but not lawns I think. The grass isn't growing at this time so needs its food store(in leaves). Raking is what you want! (good exercise!) | ||
| JB |
The only problem you might encounter would be frost damage to newly cut wood. So if you are pruning then possible cut slightly further back from the trunk than you might otherwise so that any frost damge stays away from the main trunk. For hedges, or anything where you are using a mechanised approach and can't be so surgical, then just pick your time to avoid frost as far as possible. But on the whole it's better to do it and have a hedge in good shape and with most dead wood removed even if it does suffer a little frost damage. | ||
| oldish chris |
I presume that you are thinking about a deciduous hedge? With evergreens it is generally recommended to abstain between October and March - a warm spell could produce new leaves which won't survive a subsequent cold spell. | ||
| Marionb |
I've been tempted to put the mower over our lawn (set high so it will hoover the leaves up but not cut any grass). Reason - cant see the dog whoopsies amongst the leaves - collecting them up is getting more and more of a hide and seek game... 
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| oldish chris |
Most grasses store enough food in the root system (in a drought the green bits can go totally brown and dead). I'd mow a lawn if it were dry enough. |
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| ian1 |
this is no help but i tend to...
wait till my neighbour on the right cuts his hedge , as he has some sort of saying about " not cutting before may or you'll be cutting all summer long..." then .... my neighbour on the left will cut my hedge as he has some sort of saying about "lazy bastards not cutting thems edges ....seen thems bottles in thems bins ... |
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| Treacodactyl |
Not all the way through. http://www.downsizer.net/Projects/A_sustainable_world/Hedgelaying_Yorkshire_Style/ |
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| vanessa |
I'd do the grass, on a high setting, but not if frost is forecast that night.
Grass is pretty tough stuff - think about animals grazing, do they stop eating in frosty weather? does the grass die as a result? Hedges, yes I'd cut deciduous ones whilst dormant, and the evergreens in summer (or at least, in warm weather) - although evergreens do kind of hibernate in cold weather (that's what makes a non-drop Christmas tree "non-drop"). |
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| tahir |
We leave ours till end of Feb now, looks messy but there's plenty of little birds and whatnot darting in and out of em right now. | ||
| Cho-ku-ri |
Deciduous hedges are O.K. to do now, but evergreens could suffer from frost damage. | ||
| spicycauldron |
When are standard privets supposed to start growing? We cut ours back heavily after we bought our house, we did it in January, and the local housing association hacked back the one they were responsible for - so I am assuming all will be okay, but I keep waiting for these brittle-looking skeleton hedges to show some signs of life! | ||
| Northern_Lad |
I've done mine at various times of the year and to varying degrees of brutality - It always comes back. |
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| dpack |
cut n lay
larder |
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| Slim |
Go for a controlled burn. |