‘Crops’, ‘croppers’, ‘poles’ or ‘standards’ are stems which are not cut and laid in the usual way, but which are instead cut off in an upright position where they emerge from the laid hedge. They act as living stakes, holding the pleachers in place.
Crops are used to some extent throughout central Wales, and may be left where stakes are few and pleachers plentiful. Sometimes a side branch is used, which is left sticking straight up from a laid pleacher. Instead of cutting it away where it joins the pleacher, the branch is cut to the level of the hedge to make a crop. Some double brush hedgers use an occasional supplementary crop, part way out to the side of the hedge, to contain its great width. Carmarthenshire hedgers may use half-sized crops in their version of the ‘flying hedge’. But the ‘true’ form of crop and pleach, resembling stake and pleach but dispensing with stakes as much as possible, is restricted to the Radnor district of Powys.
Much of the beauty of this type of hedge comes from its proportions, and from its rounded top which allows snow to slip off. Its effectiveness comes partly from its crops and partly from the fairly high, double-faced bank. It is perhaps a stronger cattle fence than the double brush hedge, but even so there is a danger that cattle will nose under the hedge and lift up the pleachers since there are no stakes or binding.
Crops have several advantages over deadwood stakes:
- They eliminate the cost of stakes and the labour of preparing them.
- Being firmly rooted, they hold the hedge in place against high winds and heavy snowdrifts. Cattle pushing on the hedge will not budge crops.
- They can hold down springy smooth pleachers such as hazel and willow, and can contain very big pleachers which might otherwise twist out of position. Crops work especially well when they are placed in a staggered double line near the outside edges of the hedge, rather than along the middle.
- Crops sprout where they have been cut off and, to some extent, down to the base of the stem. This gives a quick-growing bushy cover to the top of the hedge, while other shoots grow more slowly from the stools.
- Crops do not rot. This is especially helpful where good stakes are unavailable, and in exposed and cold areas where the laid hedge regrows slowly. In these areas all but the best stakes lose their effectiveness before the new growth has fully come up through the pleachers.
Crops have three disadvantages, which for many hedgers outweigh the advantages listed above:
- Their dominant cover may suppress new basal shoots below. This may cause the hedge to slowly thin at the bottom, or become stunted where the crop has been used.
- Every crop left is a pleacher lost. This may result in a weak hedge if there are not enough stems for both purposes.
- Cattle tend to rub on any firm projection in a hedge, such as a crop, and this may cause damage to the hedge. Cattle may hurt themselves if they slip and fall against a crop.
However, crop and pleach hedgers say that if crops are used carefully, none of these adverse effects occur.
Use of crops
Select crops in advance of pleachers so that you force the pleachers between and around the trimmed crops. Choose vigorous, mature, but not overly large stems for crops. Crops which are very thick are likely to die, and are no stronger than smaller stems. If you do need to use a thick crop, you can encourage it to resprout from the base by cutting out a large notch, about a quarter of the way through the stem at the base.
Choose crops which angle out slightly from positions to either side of the centre line of the hedgerow. Avoid crops right along the centre line, but also avoid crops far to the edges of the finished hedge.
Cut crops off ‘as soon as they’ve done their work’, in other words just where they would emerge from the finished hedge. Crops will usually be 2-3’ (600-900mm) tall, depending on how they are positioned. Cut them off at an angle so that their ends will blend with the curved profile of the finished hedge. Check for projecting ends after the pleachers are laid, and trim back any that you find.
Do not use crops where there are insufficient stems to make a fairly thick hedge. Instead, where the hedge is thin, use as many pleachers as possible. After laying the pleachers, drive in an occasional stake where crops are missing. Drive the stakes at an angle.
Avoid using too many crops. Space them further apart than stakes would be, although their placement varies depending on what stems are available. It is best to use multiple-stemmed plants where possible, keeping one or two stems as crops and laying as many of the rest as required.
To produce the hedge’s rounded profile, lay the larger pleachers lower down when possible. Lay smaller stems to the outside and on top, although if you have additional large pleachers they can be laid on the top along the centre line. This keeps large pleachers from rolling off to the sides.
If it is difficult to keep the hedge wide enough at the bottom, put in deadwood to fill it out and protect cut stools.
Trim up as you work. It helps to trim side branches so that little ‘cags’ are left on. These can then be used as hooks to hold down other pleachers and branches. This increases the hedge’s strength and makes it neater.
