Want a large box hedge.

[cheeryble]

I would like to enclose a piece of land from rather ugly neighbours land......AND keep chickens in....with a pretty tall box hedge,

I think they look much better than any reasonably priced wall and I presume it's very much cheaper.

PLEASE can you tell me

1. what plant to buy to get tight growth

2. What size seedlings best to buy

3. How many starters per sq ft (in fact please do recommend a width for the hedge and how to lay out the seedlings.)

4. What I might expect to pay per metre.

5. How long for growth to 1 metre and 2 metres?

6. Best place to buy a lot like this?

7. I'm guessing automatic irrigation may be a good idea........seen for sale timers, drippers, and pipe and Thai WAtsadu.......any tips?

THANKS

[cooked]

I have never seen box here and it would take you many years to grow from seeds. Walk around the car parks of a few shopping cetres and you will probably find something suitable, take a foto and go to a garden centre with it. We have an Ixora hedge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixora which grows to about 120cm, there are other species that grow higher. Two metres will not keep chickens in unless you trim their wings.Planting distance depends on the size of the plants you buy, with Ixora 60cm would be ok. I never water our established hedge and it blooms most of the year.

[cheeryble]

Thanks Cooked and sorry to be slow answering but on the case now......

Your Ixora with flowers looked very nice, and funny enough I was thinking of stopping the chickens walking through at the bottom forgot they fly!

I also have not realised that "box " is an actual plant I thought it referred to the rectangular look of the hedge.....like a box.

Yesterday I was visiting a friend in Paan CR.

A friend of his also dropped by and my friend mentioned that the other chap had planted the fruit garden around his newly built house/schoolhouse.

I asked about hedges.

He immediately said use Chaa Hoch Kian which obviously sounds like a tea plant.

He said depending on density required to plant one hands-finger-stretch apart up to double. He seems to think one row is OK though I would be tempted to do two.

He said 2+ baht each for rooted cuttings so the price is right.

Seemed to think I'd have a substantial hedge in 2 years.

I think of automated watering to speed growth, all the bits to do with timed irrigation seem very cheap.......and perhaps digging some fertiliser in before planting......any experience here?

http://www.lazada.co.th/two-dial-home-water-timer-garden-irrigation-controller-1-16-set-programs-1790937.html

I guess supply is a question.....do garden centres stock cuttings or does one have to order I wonder

[Oxx]

I think of automated watering to speed growth

Was considering this myself. Chatted with a few neighbours with nice gardens. They unanimously said it was more trouble than it was worth.

[Pdaz]

Go to your nearest plant seller and ask for "Cha Hokkien" it is a very hardy bush that grows quite quickly. It can be trimmed to shape and will grow to a couple of meters over time. It's used in many public areas and doesn't require much looking after. Alternatively there is "Sai Bali" which is more tree like bush and can easily be found 2-3 meter high. It can also be trimmed into shape.. Both of these are often used for topiary so cutting in to a square box shape would be easy.

[chiang mai]

+1 for Cha Hokkien

[cheeryble]

So two confirmations thank you.......looks like my (Thai) friend's friend was right about chat hoch kian.

We have fairly sandy village soil......is it worth digging any food into he soil (obviously would rather avoid a minute's more work than necessary, and dare say they will grow in this soil, but if it will pay back by getting the hedge quicker/taller may be an option. What food?

As for the timed irrigation being a problem I'm guessing this is about clogged drippers which should be avoidable.

Sure is nice to know the hedge is being watered (say) twice a day without even being there.

Also possibility to add a little liquid fertiliser to the water this way as we are buying an old fashioned ong or two and could feed from one of them (wonder if there's enough pressure just gravity feed of a few feet

ps:ong we have elsewhere

Edited April 19, 2016 by cheeryble

[chiang mai]

We also have very sandy soil where we live in Mae Rim, we dug in some twenty large bags of pig manure plus ten huge bags of chopped coconut husk to give the soil some balance and to better hold water, 40 baht and 80 baht respectively - the hedge has been growing well now for over nine months. Also, we use 16-16-16 twice a month and we water by hand daily, the latter soon to be replaced by some form of drip system.

[cheeryble]

We also have very sandy soil where we live in Mae Rim, we dug in some twenty large bags of pig manure plus ten huge bags of chopped coconut husk to give the soil some balance and to better hold water, 40 baht and 80 baht respectively - the hedge has been growing well now for over nine months. Also, we use 16-16-16 twice a month and we water by hand daily, the latter soon to be replaced by some form of drip system.

Thanks for the useful information.....

Is the 16-16-16 a dry mix?

[chiang mai]

We also have very sandy soil where we live in Mae Rim, we dug in some twenty large bags of pig manure plus ten huge bags of chopped coconut husk to give the soil some balance and to better hold water, 40 baht and 80 baht respectively - the hedge has been growing well now for over nine months. Also, we use 16-16-16 twice a month and we water by hand daily, the latter soon to be replaced by some form of drip system.

Thanks for the useful information.....

Is the 16-16-16 a dry mix?

16-16-16 comprise small blue pellets, the 15-15-15 are Urea are white pellets. (I) hand scatter and water in over two days, be careful not to get groups of pellets else they will burn the grass/roots/surrounding area - wear rubber gloves when handling. Fertilise on the 1st and the 15th of each month to make sure you get proper time spacing.

[cheeryble]

We also have very sandy soil where we live in Mae Rim, we dug in some twenty large bags of pig manure plus ten huge bags of chopped coconut husk to give the soil some balance and to better hold water, 40 baht and 80 baht respectively - the hedge has been growing well now for over nine months. Also, we use 16-16-16 twice a month and we water by hand daily, the latter soon to be replaced by some form of drip system.

Thanks for the useful information.....

Is the 16-16-16 a dry mix?

16-16-16 comprise small blue pellets, the 15-15-15 are Urea are white pellets. (I) hand scatter and water in over two days, be careful not to get groups of pellets else they will burn the grass/roots/surrounding area - wear rubber gloves when handling. Fertilise on the 1st and the 15th of each month to make sure you get proper time spacing.

Thanks