Help with newly planted Laurels

russell_jefferiesSoh53k_P · November 2022

Hi folks,

I'm looking for help with some recently planted Laurels that I have in my garden. I planted some a year or so ago and 3 of 4 of them didn't do very well. I lost 2 and moved 1 to a position in my front garden where it was happy. 1 of the 4 did really well, despite being right next to another that died... go figure.

As such, I tried to improve the soil, which is mostly heavy clay soil. I added lots of compost and some clay breaker and tried to break up the clay with a shovel before planting the new Laurels. I also put a load of bonemeal and compost in the hole before planting the new plants to (hopefully) help them out. The new Laurels are much bigger than the ones that came out - I got ones around 180cms, to give them a bit of a head start. (I'm trying to use them to screen off some privacy from a neighbouring building.)

The newly planted Laurels keep dropping yellow leaves, which I keep collecting so I can tell if more has fallen. I guess to some degree this is expected, given that the plants were sat in a garden centre car park for a while, but I'm worried that they will die like the last ones.

How can I help keep the Laurels happy and stop them from dying?? I've been watering them weekly with a dissolvable high nitrogen plant food and also a seaweed based liquid plant food, but some of them still don't seem to be doing great and they continue to drop leaves...

Some of them also need some "adjustment" as they seem to have flopped over a bit in the recent winds. I guess their tall height and small rootball isn't helping as they've not had chance to form a proper root structure yet.

Any advice greatly appreciated. With the amount of rain we seem to be having at the moment, I wonder if they're too damp, perhaps?

bédé · November 2022

1. Don't fiddle. Give them a chance to sort themselves out. Leave them now until the spring.

2. Don't fertilise until they show that they are growing.

3. Small plants usually settle in faster than big. And often overtake the big in, say, 3 years.

4. Staking might help/

5. Advice before the event is better than late advice.

6. For screening, it's the angle between you and them that is important. Usually a small plant planted closer will give a better screening.

Fairygirl · November 2022

Hi @russell_jefferiesSoh53k_P. There's a huge thread on laurels on the forum, and I'll give you the link to that.

The problem with buying larger specimens is that they take longer to establish than smaller ones, and it's therefore counter productive, as well more expensive. The reason they're dropping foliage is because it's easier for them to get established if there's less top growth to support. They'll drop foliage now and again anyway, because all evergreens do that, so don't worry too much about that

The important thing is - don't keep feeding them. That won't do any good, and it sounds like you have a decent growing medium for them anyway. It's also very difficult to overwater laurels, so the rain isn't a problem.
The other thing to do is - [and you won't like this!] cut them back by about half.

Here's the link - it's a very long thread

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

russell_jefferiesSoh53k_P · November 2022

Great, thanks for the info! TBH it doesn't matter too much to me that they don't grow much for a while - they're already around the top of the fence height, so look better than the smaller ones did. I just want them to survive this time! I planted around 20 - 30 Laurels out the front under a big oak tree and they were all fine, despite the oak sucking the ground dry in this year's dry summer heat. Also, one of the 4 at the back seemed very happy and when I dug him out to move him to the front before putting the new taller Laurels in, I noticed that he had done a good job of spreading his roots through the clay soil. Which begs the question of why the other 3 next to him didn't do very well and a couple even died? I'm paranoid about them dropping leaves now after the previous ones dropped leaves constantly until they were basically just a twig.

As for cutting them back - I'd rather avoid that of course! Though I know it's supposed to encourage more growth. I do need to "tip" a couple of them though, as they're leaning over from the recent high winds.

Fairygirl · November 2022

Sometimes -you can have two identical plants in identical sites and conditions, and one will thrive and the other won't. It's just how it is. If they're planted too close together, that's always problematic, so make sure you're giving them enough room to thrive.
If there are no obvious reasons for failure [and it's hard to judge when we can't see your plants] there's not much you can do except replace, and try again.

If you're getting enough regular rain, all you can do is keep an eye on them over winter - firm them back in if they're loosening up a bit, and cross your fingers

Plantminded · November 2022

It's a bit late now but one of the problems with plants which have not been well cared for before purchase (stored on a GC car park) is that the root ball dries out and never really recovers through normal watering. Before planting, the pot needs to be submerged in a large container like a trug or dustbin for an hour or so until any air bubbles stop rising. Without this, the root ball remains dry and is often incapable of providing adequate water to the branches and leaves above and the leaves yellow and die. The advice you've been given by @Fairygirl to reduce the height of your plants is the best remedy to reduce the stress on the roots now that your plants are in the ground. The health of your plant above the ground reflects the health of the plant's roots.

russell_jefferiesSoh53k_P · November 2022

Thanks again for the advice. Having read a few pages of the thread linked by @Fairygirl above, I think I'll try to get out and trim them down at the weekend, if I can find a dry spell. That ought to help reduce the tipping in the winter winds as well.

I'll try to get photos and post back here.

If I trim them back, can I use the cuttings to plant more Laurels? I could do with another 10 or so Laurels out the front of the house... if so, how do I do that? Do I need to trim at a specific angle and how do I actually plant it? Literally just stick a trimmed branch in the soil?!

Apologies, but I'm a complete novice to gardening and have had mixed success over the years. I find I'm getting into it more and more by the year though, but I know I apply the typical male approach of throwing everything and the kitchen sink at a plant in the expectation that more of everything is better!

Fairygirl · November 2022

A few photos of your site will be very helpful.

You can certainly do cuttings, although I don't know how easy they are at this time of year. Not something I've ever done, but I'll tag @Lyn, as it's something she may have done. I'll have a quick look around and see if I can find any useful links though.

You're not alone in thinking 'more is better' @russell_jefferiesSoh53k_P. It's quite common

Don't worry though - photos will help with further advice, and at least you're asking the questions

Fairygirl · November 2022

I thought it may be a little late, but have a look here -
https://www.rhs.org.uk/propagation/semi-ripe-cuttings
Might be ok to have a go anyway

The RHS is always a good place to start if you want extra info

russell_jefferiesSoh53k_P · November 2022

Thanks @Fairygirl - I appreciate the help. Just wish I'd come here for advice sooner, but I guess most people think it's a case of simply buying a plant and digging a hole, until it all goes wrong.

I don't think we're quite there yet, but I suspect your advice will be very helpful. I may even trim back the 20 - 30 shorter Laurels to see if that helps encourage them to grow as well. Is it best to trim them now, or another time of the year, and how much should I trim them? The shorter laurels have been in the ground for more than a year now and seem happy, but I don't think they've seen much vertical growth - possibly due to the hot summer and the fact that they've been planted under an oak tree. They are around a meter tall, maybe slightly shorter.

I'll try to get some photos up, but my computer doesn't seem to be finding them at the moment and I only have a few old photos of things.

bédé · November 2022

Laurels grow easily from cuttings. If you're cutting your plants back, just push 1 foot to 18 inch cuttings quite deeply into the soil and leave until new growth is obvious. Cut just below a node, qv. But you don't have to be too accurate.

Clay is not the best for cuttings, but worth a try. Improve the drainage locally with sand or grit if that is easy.

Do it soon. You can repeat later. Google: "laurel from cuttings UK". The 'UK' is important as you can be offered a lot of USA advice.

Help with newly planted Laurels

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