in september i bought 50 cell grown weston red cedar's to grow a hedge but the problem is every plant has turned a grey.

i'll explain everything what i did when i planted them.

i used a bulb digger to dig out all the holes and then i used the same soil and mixed in a little bonemeal and watered
every 2 days for a week. 1 week later i watered in some bio bizz fish mix because some of the plants had a little brown on the bottom of them.
and now all the plants have tuned grey

has anyone got any advice for me or what i should i have done?

On 12/11/2011 22:21, kingrichard wrote:
in september i bought 50 cell grown weston red cedar's to grow a hedge
but the problem is every plant has turned a grey.

i'll explain everything what i did when i planted them.

i used a bulb digger to dig out all the holes and then i used the same
soil and mixed in a little bonemeal and watered
every 2 days for a week. 1 week later i watered in some bio bizz fish
mix because some of the plants had a little brown on the bottom of them.

and now all the plants have tuned grey

has anyone got any advice for me or what i should i have done?






Because a hedge is going to be in situ for many years, it is important
to prepare the site properly. A bulb planter doesn't make nearly a big
enough hole, nor does it open the surrounding soil texture sufficiently;
in fact, it tends to compact it. Your plants had little chance of
spreading their roots into the soil beyond their planting hole. You
effectively created a sump for water to collect, and I suspect your
trees have succumbed to a Phytophthera fungal disease.

You need to clear the site of weeds and signicant roots, and dig over
the hedge site somewhat wider than required. Have a word with your
local garden centre about a fungicide to treat phytophthera. Apply this
to the planting site. If this is your idea of a chemical too far, then
at least use a mycorhizal treatment as you plant,to give your new trees
a good start. *Don't try and use both treatments, as the fungicide will
destroy your (usually expensive) mycorhizal treatment*.

Create a planting trench in which you can lay out your plants. Use a
tree and shrub compost mixed with the excavated soil, ready for
infilling the trench around the plants. Water the trench. This will
show you if you have created enough drainage. If the water sits a while
before draining away, fork over the bottom of the trench. Now put in a
layer of the improved soil, plus the mycorhizal treatment. Position
your trees, then work back along the trench, straightening the trees as
required and backfilling with soil. Water in well.

Because you will have improved drainage on the site, you can water
regularly without drowning your plants. A dressing of bonemeal is a
good idea, but can attract foxes who will dig up your trees:~(. Wait
till the trees have clearly 'taken', then try the bonemeal - but check
regularly that the foxes haven't disturbed your plants.

HTH.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On 12/11/2011 22:21, kingrichard wrote:
in september i bought 50 cell grown weston red cedar's to grow a hedge
but the problem is every plant has turned a grey.

i'll explain everything what i did when i planted them.

i used a bulb digger to dig out all the holes and then i used the same
soil and mixed in a little bonemeal and watered
every 2 days for a week. 1 week later i watered in some bio bizz fish
mix because some of the plants had a little brown on the bottom of them.

and now all the plants have tuned grey

has anyone got any advice for me or what i should i have done?

Out of interest, why have you chosen western red cedar for a hedge? See
comment at end of penultimate paragraph he
http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/Weste...-Thuja-plicata

Several suppliers state that it can be pruned hard and will rejuvenate,
but the RHS warns that "All conifers have little or no capacity to
regrow from old wood. Over-enthusiastic hedge trimming can result in
bare patches."

If you want to keep it for your hedge, Spider's advice seems sensible to me.

--

Jeff

On Nov 13, 8:17*pm, Sacha wrote:
On 2011-11-13 17:25:56 +0000, Jeff Layman said:





On 12/11/2011 22:21, kingrichard wrote:
in september i bought 50 cell grown weston red cedar's to grow a hedge
but the problem is every plant has turned a grey.

i'll explain everything what i did when i planted them.

i used a bulb digger to dig out all the holes and then i used the same
soil and mixed in a little bonemeal and watered
every 2 days for a week. 1 week later i watered in some bio bizz fish
mix because some of the plants had a little brown on the bottom of them.

and now all the plants have tuned grey

has anyone got any advice for me or what i should i have done?

Out of interest, why have you chosen western red cedar for a hedge? See
comment at end of penultimate paragraph he
http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/Weste...-Thuja-plicata

Several suppliers state that it can be pruned hard and will rejuvenate,
but the RHS warns that "All conifers have little or no capacity to
regrow from old wood. Over-enthusiastic hedge trimming can result in
bare patches."

If you want to keep it for your hedge, Spider's advice seems sensible to me.

Our red cedars here were planted over 60 years ago and are now about
40' to 60'' in height. *I don't know what spacing you've been advised
to use but eventually, these are big trees with large trunks. *They are
not an ideal hedging plant unless you're aiming to blot out something
extremely tall close to your property, over a large area. *50 western
red cedars are going to turn into a small, straight forest! * I think
their roots may have been burned by all the attention they've had, as
well as drowned by all the water. *I must ask the question: did you ask
the supplier or did the supplier offer you any advice or instructions
on after-sales care and attention? And have you gone back to them to
ask the above questions?

Now that you've spent the money and expended the effort, it's a little
sad and late for you to have to turn to strangers for advice on what
may well be dead plants. *I'm afraid it may well be too late but our
advice to you would be to dig every one of them up right now, put them
into a free draining but nourishing compost and let them grow on for
two years *at least*.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Com on Sacha, lets have some lateral thinking.
You plant them 9 inches appart, then when the trunks are touching you
cut them all down to 6ft and you have a 6ft cedar fence that will last
for years.
David