Last year I planted a long row of beech to provide me with beech hedging. At the time they were approximately 30-40cm in height, and they have now grown to an average of 50-70 cm in height.
The final height at which I would like to keep my hedge is 1.5m tall. I have done some research online about cutting back the tops of the beech plants in order to promote growth, however I am getting mixed signals.
On the one hand, there is the argument that cutting off the tops now will provide me with "fuller" hedges as they will expand and form more side branches.
On the other hand, there is advice to wait until the plants are approximately 1.1-1.2m tall before cutting off the tops so that they have a rigid and strong centre.
I'm leaning towards the second option, any horticultural advice would be greatly appreciated.