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Recently planted Laurel
Hi l hope someone can advise me. I planted a dozen Laurel which came in pots. I made a large planter and used a lot of topsoil, planted then a foot apart roughly. This is hopefully to provide us with some privacy as they grow. They look ok but some of them are dropping. Should l trim them down or tie them upright. I have attached a few pics to give you a better idea.
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What do you mean by dropping? Do you mean foliage dropping? If so, that's normal for all evergreens, but they might drop a lot due to the conditions they're in.
I'm afraid it's not the best choice for your container.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'm not sure why you were told to put bricks in the bottom. All that will do is reduce the soil volume even further unfortunately. Is there a base on the container, or is it open to the hard surface? You might get away with it if it's the latter, as long as there's enough of a gap to let excess water drain away. Fortunately, laurel can cope with quite wet conditions though.
Watering needs to be thorough - by the bucket - every few days, rather than a trickle every day. Light watering stops roots getting down properly. I'm not sure it'll matter much though, as there isn't the depth there for them to get roots down anyway.
I think you may have to take those out at some point and replace them with something more suitable.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Anyone experienced or knowledgeable wouldn't have recommended those for that site IMO.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Also, when you say watering them is this a light sprinkle with the hose, or a thorough soaking?
Lastly, did you use soil or compost, and firm them in when you planted them?