Fall Planting for Cedar Hedge

Planting a Cedar Hedge

• Plant a cedar hedge at any time of the year, including fall, with a couple of considerations. Cedars need full sunlight, and growth will be restricted if you plant them in shade. Plant cedar hedges at least 3 to 4 feet from any walkways or roads where salt is used; salt damages cedar foliage. Choose a site that's relatively flat so that the soil retains enough moisture.

  After you've chosen your site, lay out your hedge. Use tape or chalk to designate the area you're going to use, based on your need and how many trees you have for the hedge. Dig a trench 16 inches wide and 16 inches deep along your tape line. Mix the dirt you've removed with manure or compost so that you end up with 50 percent garden soil and 50 percent compost or manure. Cedars require a rich, nutritious soil that holds moisture. Mix in a dose of plant starter fertilizer at this time, to help the trees become established. Always follow manufacturer directions about quantity when you're using fertilizer.

  Pull the cedars from their containers one at a time and plant them. It's important to move trees directly from their containers to the soil during planting, to keep roots from drying or freezing. Fill the soil you've prepared over the roots, pack it down, and move on to the next tree. Plant cedars 12 to 18 inches apart to give them growing space.

Caring for the Cedar Hedge

• Water your cedar hedge immediately--and generously --to help the trees get established. Cedars grow best in moist conditions, and they require deep weekly waterings during summer or dry winters. Ideal watering for cedars is a two-hour trickle at the base of each tree. Use a 30-10-10 fertilizer three times each summer, when the trees are in their growing phase. Supplement the soil around cedars every fall with an addition of compost or mulch. Knock any snow off young cedars every day to prevent them from bending or breaking.