Hello Sarah,
Thickening up your hedge is quite straight forward. The improvement will
come through pruning and, as necessary, feeding. You will find that if you
reduce the height of your hedge, the improvement will come more rapidly, but
if privicy is an issue, it certainly isn't necessary.

Start on a dry day, in late February/early march, just cutting back growth
extensions on the road-side of your hedge. Whilst doing this, also cut out
any dead, diseased or damaged wood. Any useful, strong extensions may be
woven into the hedge laterally. This will immediately give the hedge a
denser appearance. However, don't rely on this as a long-term policy; your
hedge will be stronger and thicker in the long term with correct pruning.
You should also aim to shape your hedge so that it is wider at the bottom
than the top. This stops the top growth shading out growth at the hedge
bottom.

There is no reason why you should not prune both sides of your hedge in the
same day/weekend, if you are able. After pruning, clear debris from the
hedge bottom and feed with a general fertiliser. You may want to gently
fork in the fertiliser to ensure it doesn't just run off the surface when
you water it in. After all, your hedge has been there long enough to put on
6ft (2m) of growth, so the soil it relies on is probably compacted.
(I suggested pruning the road-side of your hedge first, because of your
responsibility to keep a prickly hedge in order where people frequently
pass. I have 200ft of pyracantha hedge (that's 400ft, if you can't both
sides!), and I always trim the outside first.)

With the start of the new growing season, your hedge will put out lots of
new shoots. When you see flower buds forming, give the hedge a high potash
feed (rose fertiliser or tomato food) to boost its flowering potential.
Watch out for Pyracantha Scab (a greyish-black mould) on leaves or berries.
Spray, if you wish. I prune mine out. If this becomes a problem, avoid
using any nitrogenous fertiliser for a while. This will promote soft growths
which are more vulnerable to attack.

Later in the year you will need to cut back this years' extension growths.
Doing this will neaten the hedge for winter and show off your lovely
berries.

Oh yes .. wear gloves!
Enjoy your hedge.
Spider

Sarah wrote in message
s.com...
Hi

I have a 2 metre high pyracantha hedge which I need to thicken up as
its on the boundary between my garden and the main road.

Is this possible at all, I'm happy to lose some height if needs be.

Thanks
Sarah
--
Sarah
------------------------------------------------------------------------
posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk