Hi I purchased a large leylandii and have planted it into place a few weeks ago, its had fishbone / compost / and existing soil all mixed in and watered on a regular basis. Its not in any wind / gets lots of sunshine. but it has started to go brown in certain areas please see pics. I've looked after it really well I just dont know whats wrong? please help
Welcome to Gardeners Corner Dazza. It's difficult to tell at this point what the problem is. It could be that it doesn't like the over crowded area it's in. Conifers are hungry and thirsty trees and may be vying with the plants surrounding it for nutrients. It may also still be settling into it's position which is why there is a little die-back. You could try pruning the dead areas out but conifers don't produce new growth unlike other trees. Thirdly, there is a conifer disease that will gradually kill the whole tree, unfortunately there is no cure. Sorry, the only thing you can do is wait and see what happens.
Ok thanks yep I thought that I might have to just wait - i hope its just because its trying to settle down, since its a big tree and it did take some work getting it out the paddling pool size pot! Can you over water them? The area has alot of other trees so i dont think tge ground is water logged. Ive been giving it about 2.5l of water very 4/5 days in this sunny weather or could that be not enough or too much
That isn't enough Dazza. In the current dry spell and the fact that it's still establishing it's roots, I think you should be giving it at least 15 litres each time you water it, right through until autumn when the wetter weather reappears unless of course we have consistent rain before then. If it's planted within twenty feet of drains or foundations then you are looking at possible root issues in the future as it matures. Leylandii roots are destructive as I've found out to my cost. I would never plant one within forty feet of my home.
I plant every Christmas tree out - Nordmannia; other coniferous trees, all sorts. A bit of brown is normal. Every branch has its corresponding bit of root that feeds it so if there's a bit of root below too close to some raw compost or bone, or maybe not getting enough water, the corresponding branch will suffer. But you're not giving it enough water! Not nearly enough. I leave my evergreens in a big bucket of water, pot and all, indoors for four months before I put them out! Even though mine are just waist height when I put them out, I give them 32 litres (four bucket-fulls) every two days for about eight weeks, then cut it down to 16 litres (two bucket-fulls) every two days throughout the summer, then twice a week until the winter frosts. This is whether it rains or not. Your leylandii should be getting more. And straight from the bucket. If you've killed off this year's new growth you might need to keep watering it before next spring too. To make sure the tree gets the water, put a water-retaining earth mound around it so you can make a little lake inside while it waits to drain down. To tell the health of the tree, touch it every time and see if less or more bits of foliage drop off. As long as there's supple green growth somewhere on it you're OK.
