How To Remove Hedges: 3 Effective Methods

Learning how to remove hedges means combining brute force with patience and delicate maneuvering. Several reasons may exist to remove an existing privet hedge, or another type of hedgerow, or bushes. Diseased hedges often require removal if they're not salvageable, and ones in the way of a new landscaping design likely have to go as well. Here are three ways to complete the task safely and effectively. 

Why are Hedges So Hard to Remove?

Like intentionally killing a tree for its removal, removing a hedge can be surprisingly challenging. Hedges can take many years to mature, giving them ample time to develop large, complex, and intertwining root systems.

Removing a hedge requires cutting it down and getting the most roots out as possible. Roots that remain in the ground often send up new growth or may harbor diseases that could infect new plants in the location. 

Since hedges are common around property perimeters and in highly visible yard areas, running into underground utility challenges when removing hedges happens often and can add to the difficulty level. Additionally, getting large landscaping equipment into areas where hedges are common can be virtually impossible—turning what could be a simple mechanized digging job into an intensive manual labor saga.

How to Remove Hedges

There are three basic methods for hedge removal. Choosing a method, or combination of methods, depends on the hedge's surroundings. Using machinery is the fastest and easiest way. However, it's often not an option due to potential damage to surrounding features and building components.

One note: Before digging a hole to remove the hedge and its roots, call 811 a week or two in advance to allow time for an underground utility survey. It's the law to conduct this type of survey, even if you know where your utilities are in your yard. More importantly, it'll help keep you safe and avoid the potential problem of having to fix a preventable accident. 

Regardless of the method your hedge requires for its removal, dress accordingly with safety glasses, proper heavy-duty workwear, and sturdy work gloves. While hedges may look delicate, getting them out of the ground can be anything but. It's a much different task than simply trimming your hedges down to the ground. If you opt to use herbicide chemicals, cover nearby plants and your skin to avoid unintentional exposure to either. 

Manual Hedge Removal 

Follow these steps for manual hedge removal.

1. Trim Your Hedge

Start by trimming back the branches all the way around the tree using shears or a chainsaw. Once you have the center stem exposed, you can cut that down to a manageable height.

2. Dig a Trench

Start digging a trench around the base of a stump or group of stumps, at least a foot deep, before digging under the root ball. Use your loppers to help cut roots if necessary. 

3. Remove Hedge 

With the foliage removed, dig all the way around the base of the hedge with a shovel or spade. Then, you can use the shovel or spade to dig under the root structure, slowly prying it loose from the dirt until it's removed.

Use Machinery

Rental centers typically offer mechanical digging equipment and stump grinders in various sizes. If it's possible to use heavy machinery without damaging surrounding plants and infrastructure, it's worth considering to minimize manual digging. 

1. Prepare the Area

Protect soft ground with plywood or boards under heavy machinery wheels, and only use this type of equipment if you have experience with it.

2. Remove Hedge with Machinery

Use a digger to pull or dig hedges out one at a time, or manually cut back the hedges and grind the stumps and large roots away with a stump grinder. 

Tip: You’ll likely have a lot of leftover wood. Many opt to use wood chips as compost if the hedge is healthy. 

Use Chemicals

Brush-killer herbicides are available in multiple forms and are effective for hedge removal. These are potent herbicides, though. Caution is necessary to avoid unintentional damage to nearby plants and animals. However, it may be the best solution for removing hedges in difficult situations where digging by hand or machine is impossible. 

1. Apply Herbicide to the Hedge

Depending on the herbicide, apply the chemical directly on the hedge leaves or trim the plant to its stumps and apply it to kill the roots.

2. Remove the Hedge

After several days or weeks, the hedges will die, and you can begin removing them by hand. The longer you can wait to remove them, the easier it will be due to continued rotting and withering.

Tips for Removing Hedges

It’s not a secret that hedge removal can be difficult. Use the following tips to make the job as easy as possible. 

• Avoid injury by dressing appropriately. Heavy-duty clothing can minimize minor and more severe injuries. 

• Wait for a cool day or time of day to perform the task. Reduce the risk of overworking yourself in the heat by avoiding digging during the hottest time of the day. 

• Be patient and stop to inspect your progress often. Hedge root systems can be complex and tangled. Stopping frequently to figure out which root to cut or which way to pull or pry can speed up the project by working smarter instead of harder. 

• We don’t recommend chaining your automobile bumper to a stump or root ball to try to extract it, which often results in dangerous consequences.   

DIY Hedge Removal vs. Hiring a Pro

Removing hedges is hard work. To preserve your personal safety and the integrity of your yard, we recommend hiring a local landscaping company to tackle this task. The national average cost to remove shrubs and hedges is around $900 or about $100 for every five feet of hedge length. Your local landscaping company can often perform the task in a matter of hours instead of what could be days to do it yourself. And, while doing the job yourself often comes with a sense of satisfaction, having a professional do it is safer and easier on your body and your free time.