Tipperary Macra group hosts meeting regarding hedge maintenance costs

South Tipperary Macra young farmers discussion group held a farm hedgerow walk entitled 'Making hedges pay for themselves' on April 16, on Michael Murphy's drystock farm at Carrigawillin near Clonmel.

The walk was led by Alan Moore from Hedgerows Ireland and focused on new hedge planting and hedge management techniques.

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Michael and his son Pat have been planting new hedges over the last 15 years to add shelter and definition to the farm with a mix of whitethorn interspersed with hazel, holly and other plants.

They have included some standard oak trees along the hedge lines to add character, shelter and biodiversity.

The new hedges have been allowed to gain a little height each year since planting and as a result have achieved a good dense structure.

The farm is bounded by ancient hedgerows which are side cut up to about three metres to keep electric fences working but higher up are allowed to produce annual flowers, fruit and nuts for the plentiful wildlife in evidence on the farm.

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Take home messages from the walk: when planting, use a good mixture of native hedge plants and use plants grown in Ireland from Irish seeds to avoid imported disease and genetic unsuitability.

Raise the cutting height each year a few centimetres and consider a rotation of every second or even third year cutting of some hedges to allow more flowers for pollinators and winter food for birds and other wildlife.

Leave some bushes intermittently to grow into trees.