The best hand tool is probably the azada shaped mattock, which is much lighter than a pick axe and better for moving soil around. Wet the soil well the day before you dig to make it softer. Good luck!

Thanks again
Katrina

There are all sorts of small & large rotovators for hire, you can even hire a tractor sized version. Much faster than slogging by hand.
My question would be, do you really need to?

With heavy clay, it’s best to make one slit in the soil per plant with a spade, sweep a bareroot plant roots in and firm it all closed.
Don’t bother making a great big trench and changing the soil. Keep the clay. If you do rotovate, just mix in some well rotted compost/manure as you go over it at the end.

If the stones are really bad, then yes, you probably should rotovate – if you can’t stick a spade into it, you can’t plant in it!

Cherry laurel would not be my first choice for alkaline clay soil, portugal laurel would be better suited and holly will really thrive on it.

Good luck!

Ed

I am about to plant at 60 meter hedgerow in clay soil picked full of Cotswold Limestone and old tree roots. Given the length of the hedgerow (I am looking to plant Laurel) and stones etc ( took hubby and myself to dig a hole 250mm x 300mm for planting half a day in the same location)is there a better way than digging by hand?
Any advise gratefully received

Well, you are in a great position to do an experiment!

I would pull out big bits of rubble and put it all the rest back in, churning in some well rotted manure if you have the energy (this will be good if there is quite a bit of rubble to remove).

I have just read this article . . halfway through digging a 49 foot trench in heavy clay – by hand!!

The trench unearthed about 20% building rubble.

Please can I have advice on what I should do?

Put the soil back? Put the rubble back? Stamp it all down and cut slits?

Advice gratefully received.

I am ordering the plants this week . . .

Chris

To be fair on that presenter, it is perfectly good advice if your soil is well drained. Considering how many British gardeners have heavy clay, though….

Back to your hedge: yew often bronzes after transplanting, so that shouldn’t be an issue, but a foliar feed will only work on green leaves.

You might consider replanting – from now until early march is fine, on a day when the soil isn’t frozen.
I can’t really judge without seeing it, but if you can see that it’s just too wet in the trench, then putting the clay back now is the best choice.

As for future hedges, as the country hedge planting video shows, a plastic mulch sheet is worth a look – it becomes hidden in a couple of years and does an amazing job of keeping out the weeds & preserving moisture in summer with no work.

You can tip the mycorrizae into a bucket of water & dunk the roots in it immediately before planting. Pour out any excess on to the soil around the new hedge.

Have fun!