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Bare root Hawthorn looks dead

watersannabelwatersannabel Posts: 8
in Problem solving
Hi, we had some bare root Hawthorn planted at the end of March immediately after removing a leylandii hedge. It was all done in a bit of a rush as it was the day after lockdown was announced and the gardener was keen to get the job done as he'd already run over schedule.  I believe he didn't add any fresh compost or bone meal to the soil prior to planting as he was unable to get supplies.  He planted approximately 60-70 plants and about half have lost all there green leaves and now look dead.  We have watered the plants well (at lease everyother day) as it has been very dry here.  When scrapping a small amount of bark back on a couple of the plants they still look green.  Can anyone advise us as to what to do next please?  Should we leave them and see if they come back or are they dead and we should remove them and start again.  I've seen some online suppliers still have bare root in stock so we could get more and start again.
We aren't experienced gardeners so advice would be great.  Thank you

Posts

  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    If they are showing green when scraped I would give them a chance. If you can get some bonemeal or equivalent give them a feed and continue to water if dry. Make sure you give them each one a good soaking once a week which is better than a little water more frequently.  There have been some very windy days lately which also increases the evaporation and dries plants out. Plants do sometimes drop their leaves if stressed to reduce water loss.
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • watersannabelwatersannabel Posts: 8
    Thank you, we have given them some liquid feed a couple of times and I'll try and get some bonemeal.  Can that be diluted and watered on?
  • jonathan.colejonathan.cole Posts: 221
    Definitely give them a bit of a chance. We planted 170 mixed native bare root plants including a lot of hawthorn. By the end I had a few spare hawthorn that had been out in the wind drying off for ages. Stuffed them in unprepared ground under a cherry tree where there was a bit of a hedge gap. They didn't do much for a while but they are all still alive and growing 2 years later.

    I have to confess I only watered the hedge when it was _very_ dry, though we did mulch and have cardboard down to stop weeds. I think we lost about 3 out of 170  and those were probably stepped on.

    They are tough old plants.
  • watersannabelwatersannabel Posts: 8
    That's great to hear thank you. We'll leave then for now and see what happens.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Don't keep feeding them. Just water - and water very thoroughly.
    What height were they? It's worth cutting them back, especially if they're over about three feet. They'll struggle to maintain top growth of any kind when trying to get enough moisture. 
    I'd be very wary of buying any bare root planting just now to replaced them. It would be throwing good money after bad. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • watersannabelwatersannabel Posts: 8
    Thank you. They are only about 1 foot so guess they aren't big enough to prune. My husband has just said that he pulled up one without leaves and it didn't have any roots either. I think we'll just leave them and see what happens. I got the impression from the gardener that even getting them at the end of march was quite late in the season for bare root so I'm reluctant to buy more.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Ah - a foot is nothing. They'll barely be getting established then, and won't have much in the way of roots. 
    If you have any compost at all, you can add that after a really good watering. The soil won't be great after having conifers removed, but if you can keep adding a bit of compost, it will gradually help. They won't miraculously start growing quickly, as they're little more than tiny whips, so give them some time.
    Too much food at this stage isn't a good idea for such small plants, but a sprinkle of bonemeal is fine as it helps with root formation. Keep up the watering - especially in long dry spells. 
    The good thing about hawthorn is that it's very tough, and will knit together over time, so even if a few don't survive, the others will fill in the gaps, especially when you get them big enough for trimming  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • watersannabelwatersannabel Posts: 8
    That's great thank you for your advice . We do have be some compost so we'll add some and keep watering. Fingers crossed they pick up. Thank you 😊
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