Hedge cutting

Hedge cutting with a tractor flail

For field boundaries, paddock hedges, lane-side hedges and long runs that would take days with a hand trimmer. A contractor with a reach-arm flail can cut the top and both faces in one visit and keep a hedge thick, stock-proof and off the road.

What’s involved

Most farm hedges are cut with a flail head on a hydraulic arm mounted to a tractor. The operator drives slowly alongside the hedge and trims the side, then the top, working to the height and width you agree beforehand. Where both faces need cutting, the tractor needs access to both sides – or an arm with enough reach to go over the top.

A flail copes well with the current and last year’s growth. Older, thicker wood can be cut with a saw head (a set of circular blades on the same arm), which leaves a cleaner cut on stems that a flail would split and shatter.

The flail chops trimmings into small pieces that fall at the base of the hedge. On a lane, driveway or yard the contractor can blow or sweep the road side clear, but agree beforehand what clear-up is included.

When to do it

The usual cutting season runs from September to the end of February. Cutting late in the winter, in January or February, leaves the berries on for birds through the hardest months. It is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to damage or destroy an active bird’s nest at any time of year, so any spring or summer cutting has to be checked for nests first.

In England, farmers and land managers covered by the hedgerow regulations must not cut or trim hedges between 1 March and 31 August, with limited exceptions (for example road safety). Rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and they do change – check the current guidance on GOV.UK or your devolved government’s website before booking a cut in spring or summer.

What affects the price

Total length of hedge, and whether one face, both faces or the top as well

How overgrown it is – a single year’s growth is quick; several years of thick wood may need a saw head

Access: gateways, gradients, and whether the tractor can get along both sides

Roadside work that needs signs or traffic management

Clearing up trimmings from lanes, drives or yards

Travel distance, and whether neighbours’ hedges can be done the same day

Good to know

Cutting a hedge every two or three years instead of every year gives more flowers, berries and nesting cover – and makes each cut cheaper per metre overall.

Raise the cut a few centimetres each time. Cutting back to exactly the same line every year leaves a hard, knuckled top that thins out.

Walk the hedge before the contractor arrives and mark wire, posts, water troughs and anything hidden in the base – a flail head will find them.

Horses should be moved out of the field while the hedge is cut; flails throw debris and the noise upsets them.

Hedge cutting: common questions

When can you cut hedges in the UK?

Most hedges are cut between September and the end of February, outside the main bird nesting season. In England, farmers covered by the hedgerow regulations must not cut between 1 March and 31 August except in limited circumstances. Anyone, at any time of year, must avoid damaging an active nest, so check current guidance before cutting in spring or summer.

How often should a field hedge be cut?

Many hedges do best cut every two or three years rather than annually. Flowers and berries form on second-year wood, so cutting on rotation leaves more food and cover for wildlife. Roadside hedges may need yearly trimming to keep sight lines and the carriageway clear.

Can a tractor flail cut thick, overgrown hedges?

A flail is best on growth up to a few years old. Thicker stems split and look ragged when flailed, so badly overgrown hedges are often cut with a saw head first. For very old, gappy hedges, laying or coppicing may be a better long-term fix than cutting.

Who is responsible for cutting a roadside hedge?

Usually the landowner or occupier whose land the hedge sits on, not the council. Councils can require overhanging growth to be cut back where it obstructs a road or footway. If a hedge sits on a boundary, check your deeds or agree the job with your neighbour.

Often booked alongside

Flailing — Heavy flail through rough grass, scrub and brambles, cut and left.

Land & ditch clearance — Overgrown ground, scrub and ditches brought back under control.

Tree felling & chipping — Trees felled and the brash chipped or cleared away.

Fencing — Post-and-rail, stock and equestrian fencing, supplied and fitted.