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What is wrong with my portuguese laurel?

I love gardeningI love gardening Posts: 14
in Problem solving
I planted a new laurel hedge last year, great soil watered well for weeks. This spring the new growth looks like this. What can it be, we have a very bad frost for several days recently could this have affected the growing tips? Is it a virus? I so need this hedge to grow properly as last year I had to removed a new thuja hedge only planted for 4 months due to thuja blight which was 3 foot tall. I had a full refund from a very well known online nursery in Kent and had these laurel as a replacement.

Really grateful to anyone who can help.

Posts

  • I love gardeningI love gardening Posts: 14

  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    Parts of mine looks like those, I’m just trimming them off.  Don’t know the cause, but not seen any bugs.  I think it’s a water/nutrition vs weather issue.
  • I love gardeningI love gardening Posts: 14
    Thank you I am relieved its not just me but if I just leave alone will they recover? Should I cut all the new growth off or just take worst bits off?
  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    There's definitely a bit of frost damage there. The other curled sections may be the beginnings of a fungal leaf infection. Make sure they are kept somewhere with plenty of good air circulation. Take some care in making sure that all blades are cleaned thoroughly between cuts just in case.

    It has been cold and then quite hot during the day-time, so that may have stressed your shrubs a bit. Once it warms up more, I would just prune those tatty leaves off. 
  • I love gardeningI love gardening Posts: 14
    Thank you Borderline, I have not pruned them at all yet as not yet as only 10 months old but think they had a bit of mildew on arrival and I sprayed with a weak solution of milk and water hope that was right. I planted them with a little  rootgrow fungi around each root and have watered with a trickle hose everyday until late autum and when dry in the winter and they have nothing in front of them so I hope plenty of air. It is really disappointing when this happens but I think they are fairly hardy plants or so I am told and hopefully they will be ok. Thanks for answering.
  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    They should be OK. Sometimes, the negatives of having a mild spell in early spring I'm afraid. Looks like a lot of growth in a very short time, and then suddenly harsh cold nights return.

    Give them all a nice thick mulch to cut down on watering. They are best watered in thoroughly once a week instead of little and often like a trickle hose. That just normally encourage roots to stay shallow and when summer kicks in, they will be weaker shrubs unable to seek moisture from the soils. If it's very dry in summer and temperatures high, then you may need to water them every other day or once every 3 days soaking right the way down for each shrub.
  • I love gardeningI love gardening Posts: 14
    I am so grateful for your advice thank you. Will do exactly as you say with the watering and give them a good mulch.
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