Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Laurel hedge issues

kh62qf464nDC6sWMnJkh62qf464nDC6sWMnJ Posts: 2
in Problem solving
Hi all, new to this forum,im a new aspiring gardener😊, im looking for advice on where to start on helping these laurel trees grow and become a privacy hedge, they have now been planted for 3 years and this is how they have matured. When planted they were 2-3ft height, i water them every couple of days during the warm weather or when it hasnt rained in a few days which is rare here 😂. Anyway any help or advice is much appreciated, thank you 

Posts

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    edited April 2022
    I can't see the base very clearly but it looks as if there's grass and weeds quite close to them, so clearing an area maybe 12 or 18 inches from the trunks would help them by reducing competition.
    It's probably not what you want to hear, but if you want them to fill in lower down, you need to cut them back quite hard, maybe by half. There's a monster thread about laurel hedges on here somewhere.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Here it is ... the accumulated knowledge of this forum regarding the successful growing of a laurel hedge 

    https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/656523/help-needed-please-with-laurel-hedge-issues/p1

    Read, see the before and after pics ... and then you'll know what to do  :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    Every cut you make will result in each branch shooting in two places that is how they will thicken out. 
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • kh62qf464nDC6sWMnJkh62qf464nDC6sWMnJ Posts: 2
    Thanks so much to everyone for the replys, you have all been so helpful and im grateful for your help, looks like i have a bit of work to do😊 but at least im learning something new at the same time
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The clearing of the base, as already said, is the best thing you can do for them   :)
    If you can remove a good foot or 18 inches of that turf, and all the weeds, that will benefit them. You can then add some organic matter - compost, rotted manure or composted bark, and that will help keep the weeds at bay, and will give the soil a boost too  as it all breaks down. It's best to do that while the soil is damp, so if the ground's dry, give it all a good soaking.
    When you water - do it for a long time every few days if there's no decent rainfall. Light watering encourages roots to stay near the surface, so good, deep watering is always best, until they're thriving, and then they shouldn't need anything. The fact that they're doing well enough after that period of time shows they aren't struggling too much though  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    There's an old gardening saying ... 'Growth follows the knife' ... meaning that pruning stimulates new shoots ... very true with laurel hedges.  Yours look to be growing pretty well ... cutting hard back will get a great response.  Let us know how you get on.  :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





Sign In or Register to comment.