new Beech hedge - best ways to thicken it up?

I've recently bought and planted thirty beech plants, they're about six feet tall.

I'd like them to stop growing in height and bush out when they are about seven feet tall - is this just a case of nipping out the growing tip on each plant?

Even though they are still relatively young (the stems are only about an inch to an inch and a half in diameter) should I also be pruning the branches a little even during this first year?

 

It's always false economy to buy larger specimens unfortunately, as they take longer to establish, especially at this time of year when it'll be more work to keep them happy going into summer conditions.
If they're densely planted, they're better just left to get on with it now, with attention given to keeping the soil healthy. Nipping the top out will only tend to make the top bushier, so the best way is to cut them back much harder, which will encourage sideways growth, but I can understand if you're wary of doing that.

 

What would advise that I do, just keep them well watered? I did put some Q4+ fertilizer in each hole that I planted them in.

I did in fact get these six footers for the price of the same amount of three footers so it thankfully wasn't a false economy.

Yeah, giving them a severe cut right now doesn't fill me with any sense of anticipation ........

Is that really the only way to make them bush out all over? If so, when should it be done?

There will of course come a time when they are no doubt far too tall, in which case should I wait until they are, perhaps, eight feet tall and then chop two feet off the top?

They are planted pretty close together, maybe a foot between them (I want a quick, dense hedge you see).

 

They'll take a while to establish, and the length of time depends on the site and soil, as well as climate. It'll be next year before they really start growing well.
Small plants always establish more quickly, so there's never much to gain by having larger ones. They can fail more readily unless planted in autumn, when they have better conditions to settle in.
Fortunately, beech is pretty tough, and fairly forgiving.
You can just leave them and when they're a few inches above the height you want, you can trim them back to that height. They'll gradually thicken out by themselves if the conditions are right for them, but no hedging is instant as such.
Deep watering is the way to keep them happy - a canful for each plant, a couple of times a week if you don't have proper, consistent rainfall. That encourages the roots to get down, and then the whips can access moisture themselves if needed during longer dry spells.
Beech manages drier conditions anyway, but some areas are drought ridden nowadays, so always check how damp the soil is. Summer can take a toll on anything woody, and newly planted, especially as the foliage starts to grow and thicken up, as it's harder for rain to get in to the bottom of a hedge.

 

Thanks very much for the very helpful advice - no shortage of rain in my area for a long time now but if it does get dryer I'll make sure that they get plenty of water.

BTW, I never knew that young beech plants were called 'whips'. Does this apply to any other plants?

 

When you get to the stage of trimming them, don't forget to trim them narrower at the top so that they don't shade themselves out. You're aiming for slightly sloping sides, not vertical.

 

Good suggestion, thanks.

 

All young trees, of a certain size/age are sold as whips.

 

Yes- it's as @Punkdoc says. Young hedging plants are called whips, and you can get 1 yr old, 2 yr old ones etc.
The big advantage of Beech, and also Hornbeam, is that they can be kept as tight, narrow hedges, but they can also become very large in each direction.

Meikleour Beech Hedge, Meikleour – Forests & Woodlands
I've passed that a few times.

My Dad planted a beech hedge in the garden of our family home. It was great fun cutting that for him when it was too much for him to do. At least 7 or 8 feet in depth, and the same in height, and I'm not very tall! There's a lovely one quite near me which is a good ten feet or so in height. Right along their front boundary.