If the beech hedge is in the wrong place or has simply become too old and unsightly, the only solution is to remove it completely. Before you can create a new hedge or plant other plants in its place, you must completely dig up the old beech hedge.
How do you dig up a beech hedge?
To dig up a beech hedge, cut the hedge down piece by piece, cut off the root area, dig up the stumps and remove the root residue as completely as possible from the ground. Older hedges may require a garden excavator or specialist assistance.
Digging up a beech hedge
If the beech hedge has only been in its place for a few years, digging it out is sometimes still possible. Occasionally, young beech trees can still be saved and transplanted to another location.
The older the hedge, the more difficult it will be to dig it up. You often need an excavator for this, especially if the beech hedge is very long.
You can no longer transplant older beech trees because you cannot get them out of the ground undamaged.
All roots must be completely removed
Before you can create a new hedge or plant new shrubs, you must completely remove the old hedge. To dig up a beech hedge, proceed step by step:
- Cut down the hedge piece by piece
- Cut root area
- Dig up stumps
- Get root residues out of the ground as completely as possible
Beech trees don't have very deep roots, but they spread pretty quickly. Some roots can be found two meters away or more - depending on how old the beech trees are.
To dig up the hedge, you need to dig up the soil at least half a meter deep, and even deeper for older trees. Especially with longer hedges, this can only be done with a garden excavator (€9.29 on Amazon) or professional support.
The alternative: let the roots rot in the ground
If you just want to remove the hedge and don't need the space for new hedges or plants, simply let the roots rot in the ground. However, this will take several years.
To do this, saw the beech trees down to the ground. Using a drill, saw or other suitable equipment, poke or saw holes and notches into the rhizomes.
Then fill fresh compost into the holes. The roots then decompose and become natural fertilizer in the soil.
Tip
There are a number of chemical agents for removing old rootstocks. However, most preparations are very harmful to the environment and must therefore not be used.
