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Cherry laurel hedge yellow leaves

georgefstewartgeorgefstewart Posts: 2
edited May 2018 in Problem solving
I'm looking for some help with a cherry laurel hedge planted a little over two years ago.  Most of the leaves on the plants are very yellow and some have holes and brown bits.  It isn't lack of water, and the soil pH seems ok.  Any other ideas?

Also strangely one of the plants is a nice dark green compare to all the others, I can't work out why that one is different to all the others!

Posts

  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 4,254
    As an obstinate member of the anti-laurel brigade, I won't help you with your predicament. Sorry. Cherry laurel hedges are an eyesore, whether healthy or not. >:)
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Rather unkind..... :/

    Hi George - do you have a pic of the whole hedge? Sometimes it's easier to get a feel of it all. 
    Just from what I can see, it looks like you could have done with making the border a wee bit bigger, so that there's less competition from the grass etc.
    The one that looks healthier may simply be in a slightly better position - it looks like you have a bit of weather damage, and wind and winter weather can cause all sorts of damage to foliage, especially in younger plants. 
    They still look quite small plants - were they very small when you planted them? It can take them a while to get established, and then they romp away, but this last winter may mean they've struggled a bit if they were still a bit small. Once they're stronger, they can fight off pests and diseases [and weather] more easily, so it may have been a bridge too far for them. 
    Don't know if that's any help at all to you  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • georgefstewartgeorgefstewart Posts: 2
    Thanks for your response fairygirl,

    Attached is a picture of the whole hedge.   Do you think i should cut some of the grass away to make the border wider? The plants were small when they were planted as they are probably atleast double the size now.    You could be right about the weather as the location is exposed and I do live in the North of Scotland!
  • cazz1100QuexVqb6cazz1100QuexVqb6 Posts: 3
    georgefstewart said:
    I'm looking for some help with a cherry laurel hedge planted a little over two years ago.  Most of the leaves on the plants are very yellow and some have holes and brown bits.  It isn't lack of water, and the soil pH seems ok.  Any other ideas?

    Also strangely one of the plants is a nice dark green compare to all the others, I can't work out why that one is different to all the others!
    Hi did you manage to fix your Cherry laurel? I am having the same problem with mine but a couple of them have went from yellow to drooping and going brown. I have no idea how to save them
  • janicecarrjanicecarr Posts: 2
    It could be vine weevil or another pest?  The adults burrow into the soil around the plant and lay eggs.  They make holes in the leaves but it’s the larvae which eat the roots and will kill the plant.  You can order nematodes online, which are a bacterium, I think, which you water in then they kill the larvae.  I noticed holes in my cherry laurel plants and found something about it on a blog, treated the plants and they seem really strong now, but thinking of giving them another dose in August 😊
  • janicecarrjanicecarr Posts: 2
    PS I also read that covering the soil with fine gravel/sharp sand will discourage the beetles, both from approaching the plant and from burrowing into the soil, so I also did that.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Healthy cherry laurel wouldn't suffer from vine weevil other than the aesthetic damage to foliage caused by the adults.
    Vine weevil damage is at it's worst when it's the larvae, which chew through roots. Highly unlikely on established laurel. 

    Lack of water is the most likely reason for your problem @cazz1100QuexVqb6. They need plenty when planted, and for the next 6 to 12 months, depending on the soil and your climate. If planted in autumn/winter [the best time] and at a suitable size, in properly prepped ground, they're very straightforward.  :)

    Everything you'll ever need to know about cherry laurel here :
    https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/656523/help-needed-please-with-laurel-hedge-issues/p1
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • cazz1100QuexVqb6cazz1100QuexVqb6 Posts: 3
    They are water logged that’s why some of them have been dying
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Ah - opposite problem then. Have you sorted that out?
    They should recover quite easily if it's done early on.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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