Help please ! Dying privet hedge

Good morning all, I have a 100ft long, 12ft high, privet hedge that is healthy apart from a 12ft wide section in the middle that is dying. The foliage has largely disappeared and what leaves were left had gone all brown. I am pretty sure that it is not honey fungus as the roots show no signs of the usual tell tale signs. I have cut out all the dead branches but have not dug out the roots because they are pretty substantial. I have replaced a lot of the soil and have planted new privet plants. Is this sensible or should I be doing somehing more radical ? Photos below. Many thanks in advance, Charles




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thanks very much for your welcome and quick response. Weedkiller is definitely not the problem. My wife is taking a root, branch and soil sample into Wisley to see if they can identify the cause.

 

It could be old age, or the plant is living beyond its means.

Have you thought about giving it some feed of some description, and some water in drier spells.

I would remove all the dead bits and make sure they don't go near the compost heap, just in case.

Hope this Helps!

 

thanks, what plant food would you suggest, blood, fish and bone perhaps ?

 

Disaster ! My wife just returned from Wisley and they have told her that the problem is honey fungus ! They have suggested digging all the affected part of the hedge out with a considerable margin on either side , replacing the soil and then replanting the gap with a different species ! I think that will look diabolical won't it ?

 

I have just spent the weekend digging out a 7 metre section of this hedge and found absolutely no evidence of honey fungus despite Wisley saying that this was the cause of the hedges' demise: no fungal growth and none of the "black laces". All I did notice was that the soil was incredibly dry and dusty. Anyway I have dug a trench a metre deep and have got rid of all the roots and soil. The idea now is just to leave the rest of the healthy hedge and see what develops. Because of the dryness of the soil I have intertwined a porous hose through the middle of the hedge at the base and will give it a good feed. Does this sound as if it may work ?? Many thanks, Charles

 

All is not lost as some plants (including privet) are more susceptible than others.

One of the less susceptible, according to Stefan Buczacki in Pests, diseases and disorders of Garden Plants, is Beech which, it appears, your neighbour has. There is a wide selection of plants suitable for hegding including Laurel and Holly

Make sure your remaining privet is kept in good order by giving them a good suitable feed. The soil around privent and other hedges does tend to be dry.

I remember a head gardener telling me that honey fungus was all round but tended to kill the weak and old, a bit like penumonia.

 

Thanks very much guys, what do think the best feed would be?

 

Cut down the plum and get the roots ground out - a bit expensive. Get rid of what you can and dont be tempted to either keeping it for the insects/birds or using it as mulch.

Make sure you keep all your other plants healthy and well fed and always clear away and dispose of tree and shrub plant debris.

Just be wary of what you plant in the future.