Garden Q&A: How can I thicken up my Red Robin

You will need to wait until September but Red Robin responds very well to cutting

It is illegal in Ireland to cut or prune hedges between the 1st of March and the 31st of August, so you will need to wait until September before you touch them.

Question

My red robin hedge is looking sparse and a bit bare. How can I thicken it up so it looks good and full?

Answer

The good news is that Red Robin responds very well to cutting, and that is your best tool for thickening it up. However, under the Wildlife Act, it is illegal in Ireland to cut or prune hedges between the 1st of March and the 31st of August, so you will need to wait until September before you touch them. When that window opens, cut it back fairly hard, which will encourage now-dormant leaf buds to burst into growth, meaning it will thicken up again from the base. Be careful not to prune too hard, as you must not remove all foliage from the plants, as this will possibly lead to them completely dying off. You can cut again at the end of February, before the closed season begins. In the meantime, feed the soil around the base rather than the plant itself. A biochar-based plant food will improve the soil structure and build up the microbial activity the roots depend on, so the hedge is in the best possible condition when you do cut.

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