"Steven Wayne" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:31:51 +0100, Spider
wrote:

"Steven Wayne" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I don't know much about hedges so could someone please tell me what this
hedge is.

http://www.baldman.eclipse.co.uk/hedge/page.html

And if there's any hope for it?

It has holes in it and patches where the leaves are all brown.

Thanks,
Steven


Hi Steven,

I go along with Emrys's identification, too. If that's a typical picture
of
your hedge, ie clothed right down to the ground, then I don't think
you've
got anything to worry about. It is perfectly normal for an evergreen,
coniferous hedge to be bare in the middle; no reasonable amount of light
can
penetrate there, so foliage dies and can never regenerate.

Thanks for the ident everyone, but it's not my hedge.

However, regardless of what the picture shows, you've said there are some
browned areas. It's a pity your pictures didn't show these. (Yes, I
know,
you wanted to send your best pictures! :~) ). Are the brown areas near
the
base? Think cat, dog, fox pee and see if that's likely. Be brave: is
there
a smell? There are other causes: root troubles caused by drought or
excess
wet; spray drift from a herbicide (again, is there a smell?); insect
damage:
aphids or catapillars; fungal problems, such as phytophthera (see
previous
thread). Another possibility is over-enthusiastic trimming, but your
hedge
looks evenly trimmed, so I doubt it's that.

I've added a picture of the brown bits:
http://www.baldman.eclipse.co.uk/hed..._bits-1-0.html

It's hard to suggest a solution without knowing the actual problem, but
try
feeding it. Indeed, have you ever fed it? They're very hungry plants.
Perhaps you could try investigating further and come back to this ng if
you
find anything. In the meantime, if it were my hedge, I would try a
bonemeal feed (scatter below hedge and carefully rake in, then water in).
Next, I'd try an ericaceous feed. An unusual and controversial step, but
one which I find helps with fungal problems. Or you could ask at the GC
for
a proprietory Phytopthera treatment. I would keep an insecticidal spray
as
a last resort, as many small birds (esp. goldcrest) love nesting in
conifers. As you can see, I'm doing (intelligent) guessing here!, but I
(and others, I'm sure) will have another try if you can give more
information.

HTH, Spider.

It does H a lot, thanks.

I'll ask the owners if they've ever fed it.


Steven


Thanks for the new pic, Steven. I think it's reasonable to rule out animal
pee at that height! ... and rule out herbicide drift, too, as there's
nothing in front of it which might have been sprayed. It's much more
difficult (for me, anyway!) to be conclusive as to pest v disease, but I
would tend to treat for Phytophthera first, as this could potentially harm
the whole hedge. The owners will need to ask at their GC for a recommended
treatment, as this type of chemical isn't within my experience yet. (Soon
will be, though!)

In the meantime, perhaps the owners could look for insect infestation,
although I'm not convinced this is the problem, plus I'm very wary of using
insecticides unless absolutely necessary. Maybe the owners feel otherwise.
The bad news, however, is that conifers will not sprout from old, brown
wood, nor dead wood for that matter! Sorry. :~(

Spider