Laurels

New to anything about plants, trees, yards etc. but I am really good at following directions.

In April 2022 I planted 35 8-10 inch cherry laurels, spaced 30 inches apart. I live in zone 7, high desert. We have spring early and can get to 115 in the summer and 0 in the winter. Dug the holes as one continuous trench, filled with fertilizer for flowering trees and shrubs mixed with soil and then set the tree in the hole and back filled. I did not know to use bonemeal at this time.

I used landscape fabric, commercial grade, up to the trunk s of the laurel trees, leaving about an inch from the truck, then topped with wood chips. Fertilized every 2 months until late fall with Scott’s evergreen flowering tree and shrub continuous release plant food (11-7-7). Wood chips did not touch the trunks. Great fear of weeds so made sure I used 3ish inches of wood chips. Watered daily, about 15 minutes. Each tree has their own little mini sprinkler. The trees took off, growing to about 24 inches in the first year. As soon as our high heat hit, the trees stopped growing, still watered every day to make sure the soil did not dry out.

The problems started with the new season in April 2023. Two of the trees turned yellow leaves and most leaves fell off. Pulled back the wood chips and landscape fabric, noticed that the soils was a soggy wet mess. So I removed all the wood chips around the tree, maybe a 12 inch circle, and removed the landscape fabric, thinking that the trees were having too much water trapped in the soil. Backed way off on the water- now 2 times per week. Trees looked bad, not very green. I fertilized and gave them an extra feeding of iron and bonemeal and Epson salt. Worked it into the soil. With the exception of four trees, the trees have not grown at all. They all got their flowers and many are getting their berries.
What can be done differently to get the trees to grown new leaves. I have not treated any tree any differently but 4 have grown beautifully, the rest still stuck with no new growth. Posted photos of the poorly growing trees and the really nice ones. FYI all good ones are next to each other at the end of the line of trees

 

@laurahall11 If you could fill in your location it would help. I presume you are in the central belt of the USA and Zone 7 is The USDA Climate Zone for your area. I would say that as your temperature can get down to 0°F (-17°C) Cherry Laurel is only borderline hardy, it won't be impressed with temperatures of 115°F (46°C).
I think you may have overdone the fertiliser and feed.
What is the difference where 4 are growing well, soil, slope, shade?
I wouldn't feed anymore at the moment, I'd also give them a good soak of water every week as and when the soil dried out, I assume fairly well draining ground.
One question springs to mind why Cherry Laurel?

 

I'd be inclined to know if cherry laurel is well used plant for hedging in your area.

 

Thank you for your replies. Where I live is the south eastern part of the state of Washington State, USA.
As for the use of Cherry Laurels as hedges, I have never seen this use in my area. However a single Cherry laurel is not uncommon. I have one single one in my front yard, planted 6 years ago, in the total shade. This one tree is doing great, six feet wide, seven feet tall and super dark green shinny leaves.
I choose Cherry laurel as it is an evergreen with leaves, is fast growing and flowers, the only other evergreen hedges that I have seen in my area do not have leaves, they are more like a Christmas tree type of leaves. I needed something to block the view from 6 foot to 12 foot high, anything much taller and I would lose the good view that starts about 12 feet. Ugly view is from the top of my fence to about 10 feet. I read the Cherry laurel would grow to about 12 feet (perfect height for my needs). This row of trees is also my view from all living areas in my home so I wanted something that looks nice, not your typical evergreen looking Christmas trees.
The only difference in the year old trees that are growing well, is they may get about 1 hour of shade in the evening, the other trees get full sun, no shade.
Now that I removed the landscape fabric and the wood chips the ground is pretty good drainage and does dry out, prior the wet wood chips would retain water, for more than several days.

 

I must admit your temperature range seemed a bit much for laurel but obviously not if you have others doing well.

I can only think they will sort themselves out and get moving at some point, they look well enough apart from one, I assume you have to water a lot in the summer months.
They a
They appear to have flowered, makes me wonder if they are putting energy into flowering rather than growing.

 

Thank you.

Yes they flowered, some sooner than others, but all did flower and the majority are making berries.

is there something I am doing to encourage flowers and berries instead of leaves?

In summer months I anticipate needing to water every 2-4 days but not sure if I water when they are dry or still a little bit moist? Don’t want to get into the over watering mess again.

Appreciate all of the help, puts me at ease that I am not going to have fatalities of the poorly growing trees.

 

Its not easy to guess what is going on, but I think they need more time.
It sounds a bit of a bind but if it was me I'd cut most, if not all, the berries off if its practical to do so.

Regarding watering, can you push a few wooden sticks into the ground near a few of the plants, then when you pull them out you can get a rough idea how much moisture there is in the ground by how damp the end of the sticks are.
Just an idea.

 

Great idea. I have numerous tongue depressors, so I will place a few around the trees in the soil.

I will go ahead and remove all the berries, this would not be too difficult at all. Will do this today.

 

I just hope it helps, now why didn't I think of tongue depressors.
Dont forget to say AAAAhhhhh.

 

Because you don't come across them in your everyday life unless you are working in a medical area.

 

@laurahall11 One thing to check is that your mini sprinklers are wetting the soil rather than the woodchip, the landscape membrane is probably not that porous and the water will head off on the course of least resistance.

 

Thank you.

Landscape fabric and wood chips have been removed from around the baby trees. They have about 12 inches around on all sides free of both. Mini sprinkler are pretty close to the trunk and so far the soil has been getting drenched when I water, but then slowly sinks into the ground.

Berries have now all been cut off, will install the tongue depressors when it cools off, we are about 85 heading for 90 today. Popsicle sticks would work too!

I will provide an update in a couple of weeks, good or bad. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Update:
Good news, my laurel trees are still alive, bad news is they still are not growing, perhaps they will grow later this season?
I am not sure if I have found another issue. The branches of the healthy trees are green, the branches of the remainder of the trees have brown spots all over them (photos attached of both the green and spotty branches). Could this be some sort of disease?

 

You know over here laurel seems to be planted at every new development and TBH it either grows like the clappers or looks awful.
My neighbour has a laurel hedge and I usually end up cutting it, but it never looks good IMO, leaves are always distorted with brown patches.
I think it gets planted because its fast growing but it rarely looks good.

Having said all that, I really dont know what those brown spots are but if it keeps growing it wont be all bad.

 

Thank you for your reply.

In my front yard I have a laurel that is much older, lives in full shade. It is beautiful, just like the typical description would be. Large dark green shinny leaves, probably 8 feet by 5 feet. Covered in white flowers in the spring a berries in the fall. Never been fertilized, watered by a drip system for 30 minutes everyday. I have never seen a brown leaf on the thing. I understand about trimming, this one grows fast. Is branches are also dark green, no brown spots.

My secret uneducated guess is laurels do best in full shade. The 35 laurels that are struggling are in full sun and very high heat, up to 115f. Maybe we need to build something to shade the ones in full sun as see what happens.