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Hawthorn Hedge Brown Leaves
jimread
Posts: 4
Hello,
We live in Clay Cross in Derbyshire and have a long Hawthorn hedge at the side of our garden. For the second year running the hedge has had lots of brown leaves on it and has not grown very well at all.
The picture of a section of the hedge looks very brown and the second picture is some twigs the larger one from the end of the hedge which isn't very badly affected and the small one from an area within the section in the first picture.
We would be very grateful for some help.
Thanks - Jim
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Posts
What is the other side of the hedge? Has someone been spraying weedkiller?, because that looks like weedkiller damage. My hawthorn hedge was brown last year, but it had a lot of rust on it. I don't think that is rust.
Last edited: 09 June 2016 10:09:39
To be honest Jim - I'm not sure at all.
I have some brown bits like that where fresh growth was a bit nipped by the frosts. I also know that occasionally a bit of weedkiller spray might reach the hedge when I'm leaning over to try to zap the huge nettles and thistles which have been allowed to grow wild in the field behind my garden.
If you don't think either of those is the problem for you, could the hedge perhaps be very dry and / or hungry?.
It looks as though there is quite a lot of stuff planted up to the base of the hedge. Maybe clearing some of that away, giving it a feed, a good watering and mulching would be beneficial. You could also give it a foliar feed (liquid seaweed) a couple of times this season.
Good luck
You snuck in there Fidget - looks like we have the same suspicion re the weedkiller
I'm sure hawthorn will recover with a little TLC though.
Hello all,
Many thanks for your replies I'm very grateful to you.
On the other side of the hedge is an old tarmacked path which slopes away from it and on the garden side is a steep slope also away from it. The local authority does come along and spray weed killer from a quad bike and our neighbour said they'd been round recently.
We did have some late frosts as well, last one about a four weeks ago when it was white all over.
I've also started digging an area adjacent to the hedge after removing some shrubs and the soil is bone dry.
From your comments I think it's a combination of the spraying, the dryness and the late frosts. We have a lot of compost in the garden so taking your advice we will mulch under the hedge, feed it and I will water it profusely today. We do like the Geraniums and the Astrantias though so we will continue the watering rather than take them out.
I'm so pleased that we can do something about it.
Kindest regards - Jim
Last edited: 09 June 2016 10:53:03
I would complain to the council. Emphasise that if the hedge dies, you will want it replacing with another of equal size and type. That should put the wind up them. I have a buddleja growing in front of the front wall, and bulbs, and the council know not to spray there, when they go round spraying the bus stops, manhole covers etc. They sprayed it one year, I made such a fuss they have never done it since.
Hawthorn hedges are pretty bombproof once established, which that is, dryness and frosts wont touch them. The soil will be dry under a hedge, the hedge wants a lot of water in summer, but the roots will go down a long way. Put a soaker hose on it, but complain to the council to make sure they don't do it again. If it dies, get a solicitor to send a letter demanding the full cost of replacing with established hedge, not seedlings. You can buy large hedging by the metre from specialists who will install it for you.
When you contact the council, use a few buzz phrases like 'Native hedge grown for wildlife", "roosting and nesting birds losing habitat" "criminal damage to another persons property"(yours)
Good luck.
Hello FB,
Many thanks for that, I would never have thought of doing it.
I will take some more photographs from the road side and send them to the council.
Many thanks - Jim
If it turns out not to be mad spraying by the local authority, it could be fireblight.
Hello Ceres,
Many thanks for your comment I did look up fireblight, which seems to reveal itself in March/April time. The hedge was fine and growing normally up to about 4 weeks ago. Also there are no signs of the pustules/cankers or brown wood below the bark, I checked that by cutting up some thicker branches and stripping the bark off.
Well, keep me fingers crossed though.
Cheers - Jem
I have exactly the same problem. We are in Ringinglow on the edge of the Peak District. Noticed yesterday that both sides of a well established hedge have turned brown in the last week.
this is a long hedge that shields us from the road and provides great privacy. As we are currently for sale I'm not sure whether to dig it out and replace with an instant hedge or hope that it recovers.
we are next to a farmers field but don't think he has sprayed the field as it still has sheep grazing on it.
Any advice?