Not sure where to post this

This is my two year old native hedge that i planted from bare root stock

When will be best to trim it. Will it then start to grow more side shoots and bush out more?

I want it to be the uo to the first baton and fill out to try and make some cover for birds and wildlife

 

I would nip out the leading bud on every single branch. I would continue to do that (some time between Autumn-leaf drop and Spring bud-break ) each year until it has reached final height - in practice you will start clipping the sides at the bottom, once it is wide enough, so you will then only be doing bud-nipping higher up the plants. So it remains "about the same amount of work" as the hedge grows.

I would install a leaky hose along its length, and water it once a week all through the summer (stick a can under it and time how long an inch of water takes, and then I would give it about that long each time - unless we have a "wettest Summer on record" ). Looks like you have a bark/similar mulch, if there isn't any weed surprising membrane under that then pay attention to any weeds (they are will be competing for Food and Moisture) and I would want the mulch to be 2" thick. If you do have weed surprising membrane (either with bark on top, or nothing) then no need to have any/thick layer on top, the membrane will keep moisture in as good as 2" of chippings.

Don't feed it after August, so it has time to toughen up for the winter.

 

Okiendokie ill give that a go no weed problems as of yet i give it a good water every 3 days atm.

 

How would you define "a good water" ? Are you standing there with watering can, Bucket, Hose, Sprinkler ... fire hydrant

 

A hose watering for a good 15 20 mins

 

I recommend getting a leaky-hose. Then you can just connect the hose up, leave it running for 30 minutes, and not have to "manually move down the row" (assuming that is what you are doing currently)

Actually looking at the photo the row is quite short - 4 or 5 M maybe? I don't suppose Leaky / Soaker hose is sold in lengths that short. (You can just "kink" it , with a cable-tie/similar, if you don't want to cut it)

Maybe you are happy standing there too probably putting the world to rights and figuring out todo lists, or listening to Music/Podcast ... don't let me stop you I prefer some automation so i can get on with something else.

Examples (but you should be able to get something from your local Garden Centre)

Soaker Hose | Irrigation Pipes And Fittings | Water Irrigation
Soaker Hose | Easy Garden Irrigation

 

They look great might look into them for my two rasied beds too. Although do like doing a mental job list/listening to the birds and getting out of the washing up.

Are they easy enough to set up have mutiple locations with them?

 

You can fit a regular Hoselock push-connector to leaky hose, so at its most basic you could push the hose into one, turn it on and leave it for X minutes, then move the hose to the next ... and so on.

More sophisticated than that ("Lockdown is done, I'm going abroad for a fortnight ...") would be a Timer that can switch water to each of, say, 4 circuits. So you hook up 4 separate hoses, to the 4 beds, and then program the timer for how much, and how often, for each bed.

But of course they can also go wrong and pop a hose and then leave the water running until you get back home ... but there are many people who have systems like that, particularly if they have a neighbour who can keep an eye on things now-and-then - just-in-case.