Encourage growth at base of beech hedge?

[kdog 10]

Need some advice on a beech hedge. It's an established hedge but has no growth at the base. There is between 18 and 24 inches from the ground to the first leaves, making it easy to crawl through. Is there any way I can encourage growth at the bottom, or will I need to use/plant something else to block the massive gaps?

Thanks in advance.

[Jon26 10]

How are you cutting the sides? A lot of folk cut the sides at right angles to the top, if you cut it a slight slope so the top is narrower than the base then this should let more light to the base which might encourage growth. Try a good mulch too.

[kdog 10]

Thanks for your reply. I haven't cut the hedge yet as I've only just bought the property. The problem is that there are no branches, just 'trunk' for the first two feet of the height of the hedge. So leaves do grow at the bottom of the hedge, it's just that the bottom of the hedge is too high up as the first branches with leaves on are far too high up to make the hedge an effective barrier.

[Chez2 10]

When you first plant the hedge you need to keep cutting it down so it grows side shoots instead of into a tree. Its not as easy to do this on a mature hedge but we have done it with mixed native hedging. You can cut and lay some hedging horizontal but its a bit risky with mature beech (they might break).

 

I think you might have to put a two or three foot wire fence up if you want to keep something in or out at ground level.