Laurels are not growing very well

Discussion in 'Other Plants' started by Tracy Buckingham, May 11, 2014.

  1. Tracy Buckingham

    Tracy Buckingham Apprentice Gardener

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    I have recently planted some laurels and they not appear to be growing very well. I have been feeding them with Richard Jackson's flower power and it doesn't appear to be working. I read on a forum that Epsom salts help and have been feeding the laurels with this for two weeks, 1 feed every 7 days. There is a tree next door and they also have a pond so I'm assuming they are causing the problem. I really need these laurels to grow as my garden has no privacy! Please help.
     
  2. Lolimac

    Lolimac Guest

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    Hi Tracy,Welcome to GC:dbgrtmb:....

    How recent did you plant the Laurels? I'd be tempted to sprinkle some Potash around the base of the plants and water in,others will be along shortly with maybe a better solution:thumbsup:
     
  3. Spruce

    Spruce Glad to be back .....

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    Hi Tracy

    Welcome , how big are they when you planted them , what ground preparation did you do before you planted them?

    I would hold back on feeding them and just give them time to settle in any new hedge plant takes a while to settle in as they will be sending roots out first , just give a water once or twice a week if it hasnt rained , Laurels are normally tough but when young hate a cold wind turns the edges of the leaves brown , its only May so plenty of time for them to get going
     
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    • JWK

      JWK Gardener Staff Member

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      Hello and welcome to the forum Tracy :)

      When did you plant the laurel and how big were the plants?

      I'm wondering if you should be feeding young plants, the best thing for new planting of any hedge is to keep up the watering. The roots need to get established before you feed, really the soil needs to have bonemeal incorporated then no feeding to begin with.
       
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      • Sirius

        Sirius Total Gardener

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        I always mulch new plants with well rotted manure.
        Find it gets them off to a good start. And is not potentially damaging to the roots, as some non-organic chemicals can be.
         
      • merleworld

        merleworld Total Gardener

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        Careful you don't overfeed them or you'll do more harm than good. Just keep them watered and allow them time to establish.
         
      • shiney

        shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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        Although laurel are very quick growers they don't start growing properly until they have established themselves. This can take a year before they are comfortable. As with the other advice above, don't feed anymore but keep them well watered.

        It takes a while to establish a good hedge as a barrier. Unless you have a lot of young laurel planted together you will need to prune them to get them to branch out better. It's best not to have them planted too close as they will do well enough once they've started to get going.

        What variety do you have? Although the variegated laurel looks better it's a slower grower than the green one.
         
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        • debolina

          debolina Apprentice Gardener

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          Hi, just thought I would mention, that laurel unchecked is very invasive. We have had our trees cut down to 6feet after reaching 20 feet high and 10 foot wide. The roots are now shooting and it is very difficult to kill. As long as they are trimmed top and sides they do make a handsome hedge.


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        • Kristen

          Kristen Under gardener

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          Quite a number of hedge plants fit into that category - probably anything that will be "quick" providing a hedge - it carries on "being quick" so then needs a lot of maintenance to stop if getting out of hand. Leylandii takes the biscuit in that category :)

          Laurel is, additionally, a wide hedge - which can be a problem in some places.

          I too would like to hear the answers to questions raised earlier in order to better advise:

          WHat soil preparation before planting
          How big were/are the plants (height from ground level to tip-top of average plant)
          Planting distance
          Were they bare root plants, or in pots?
          Is it an exposed situation?

          Photo would probably help :)
           
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