Last Xmas, I planted three new Privet plants (3 feet high) to fill a metre gap in a long established Privet hedge. The gap had been opened up by the careless pruning of an adjacent tree by a neighbour.

When planting, I dug some bonemeal safely below the roots, whilst putting some 'Rootgrow' fungus on the roots of the pot-grown plants, this being the advice received at the time.

Since spring, I've been watering the plants weekly with a watering can of water plus a high nitrogen feed. They've grown well during the summer.

My question is, now winter approaches, what care should they get. Weekly water? Is high nitrogen feed, or anything else, wise over the winter months?

On 07/10/2012 15:23, Roy22 wrote:
Last Xmas, I planted three new Privet plants (3 feet high) to fill a
metre gap in a long established Privet hedge. The gap had been opened
up by the careless pruning of an adjacent tree by a neighbour.

When planting, I dug some bonemeal safely below the roots, whilst
putting some 'Rootgrow' fungus on the roots of the pot-grown plants,
this being the advice received at the time.

Since spring, I've been watering the plants weekly with a watering can
of water plus a high nitrogen feed. They've grown well during the
summer.

My question is, now winter approaches, what care should they get.
Weekly water? Is high nitrogen feed, or anything else, wise over the
winter months?

Just leave them

Does that mean not even water??

On 08/10/2012 00:12, Roy22 wrote:
David Hill;970426 Wrote:
On 07/10/2012 15:23, Roy22 wrote:-
Last Xmas, I planted three new Privet plants (3 feet high) to fill a
metre gap in a long established Privet hedge. The gap had been opened
up by the careless pruning of an adjacent tree by a neighbour.

When planting, I dug some bonemeal safely below the roots, whilst
putting some 'Rootgrow' fungus on the roots of the pot-grown plants,
this being the advice received at the time.

Since spring, I've been watering the plants weekly with a watering can
of water plus a high nitrogen feed. They've grown well during the
summer.

My question is, now winter approaches, what care should they get.
Weekly water? Is high nitrogen feed, or anything else, wise over the
winter months?-

Just leave them

Does that mean not even water??

That depends where in the UK you are.
Here in Wales you wouldn't even have needed to water during the "Summer"
In winter they should be dormant so using very little water.
I see you say you watered with a watering can.
When you water you want the water to go down 12 inches or more so that
the roots go DOWN after it, if you water only the surface, then that is
where the roots will go looking for water, and the plants will suffer
every time the top soil dries out.
A hose pipe left with a slow trickle for half an hour will do most good,
otherwise using buckets, pour some on then as soon as it has soaked in,
more and keep doing this till each plant has had a couple of gallons or
more. This done once a week will do more good than a quick splash every
evening.
David @ the wet end of Swansea Bay.

You're unlikely to need water over the winter for two reasons a) there is likely to be sufficient rain b) the temperatures will be lower so the loss of water through their leaves will be a lot less.

If you give them too much water which they can't use, there is a risk of the roots rotting.

Because of the low temperatures, the plants won't be growing very much if at all, so they don't need feeding.

On 07/10/2012 15:23, Roy22 wrote:
Last Xmas, I planted three new Privet plants (3 feet high) to fill a
metre gap in a long established Privet hedge. The gap had been opened
up by the careless pruning of an adjacent tree by a neighbour.

When planting, I dug some bonemeal safely below the roots, whilst
putting some 'Rootgrow' fungus on the roots of the pot-grown plants,
this being the advice received at the time.

Since spring, I've been watering the plants weekly with a watering can
of water plus a high nitrogen feed. They've grown well during the
summer.

My question is, now winter approaches, what care should they get.
Weekly water? Is high nitrogen feed, or anything else, wise over the
winter months?




You would have prepared them for winter better had you ceased the
nitrogen feed and used a high potash feed (tomato or rose fertiliser)
instead from about August time. Potash helps to ripen the wood.
Nitrogen produces soft new growth that is prone to frost damage. I only
ever use potash (Tomorite or similar) after the end of August (or July
in colder areas).

If I were you, I would give them a high potash feed now and, perhaps,
also cut the hedge back slightly. You may have noticed that when
trimming a woody plant, the trimmed soft growth starts to harden off.
This should offer another layer of protection.

Also, once you've watered the postash feed in, mulch the root area
thickly (not too close to the trunk or it could rot) to both hold the
water in and to protect the root zone from frost. I've forgotten
(sorry!) who mentioned the roots being drawn to the surface to look for
water due to your watering can method, but it's certainly true. A good
mulch would act as a blanket during the icier weather ahead.

As to watering, once the mulch is in place, cease watering but watch the
plants for signs of drought. Then water well and leave them until they
seem droopy again. Make your plants' roots search for water well below
ground. This will eventually make them more drought tolerant and more
stable in the ground.

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

Many thanks for all the detailed replies! I freely admit to knowing very little about plants, but I can follow good advice, of which there's quite a bit here. If I understand you all...

They don't need feed or water over winter. I should have switched to a high potash feed mid-summer, but can still give it a shot now. I should also have cut them back a bit to harden (oops, was letting them grow to fill the space a bit) and mulch on the surface will aid water retention & keep frost away. Oh, and watering is best done slowly rather than a minute's blast with a watering can (oops again). Good thing mother nature's been around longer than I have.

Thanks again,

Roy.

On 08/10/2012 18:50, Roy22 wrote:

Many thanks for all the detailed replies! I freely admit to knowing
very little about plants, but I can follow good advice, of which there's
quite a bit here. If I understand you all...

They don't need feed or water over winter. I should have switched to a
high potash feed mid-summer, but can still give it a shot now. I should
also have cut them back a bit to harden (oops, was letting them grow to
fill the space a bit) and mulch on the surface will aid water retention
& keep frost away. Oh, and watering is best done slowly rather than a
minute's blast with a watering can (oops again). Good thing mother
nature's been around longer than I have.

Thanks again,

Roy.




Spot on, Roy! I think you've got it.

Naturally you want your hedge to reach its potential height asap, but
trimming it as it grows will help to thicken up the hedge as well as, at
the moment, helping to produce harder wood for the winter. Don't worry
too much about your 'oops' collection, we've all got one of those; it's
how we learn.

As to feeding, it's worth remembering that Nitrogen (N) encourages green
growth (stems and leaves); Phosphorous (P) encourages root growth;
Potash or Potassium (syn.) (K) encourages flowers, fruit and ripening.
When you buy fertiliser, check the label for the NPK ratios. These will
tell you the proportion of each element in that pack. A 'general'
fertiliser (ie: Growmore, Phostrogen) will have equal parts: 5-5-5. A
high nitrogen feed will perhaps be 7-4-4. A high potash feed may be
4-4-7. This should help you understand how to feed your plants.
Experience will help you get the timing right. Never make the mistake
of using more food in the belief that your plant will be healthier. It
will not, it is generally harmful. If you know you are a bit
heavy-handed, give a half-strength feed instead.

Another valuable lesson is to remember that, in winter, plants can
suffer from 'frost drought'. This is when there *is* moisture in the
ground but it is locked up and icy hard. The plants' roots are unable
to take up the solidified moisture as they can only use soluble
nutrients. I always keep a weather eye on my plants and, if they look
desperately dry and wilted, I will water them. It's a tricky decision
in icy conditions, but I find it helpful.

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

Thanks again for the further advice. I've given the privet some Tomorite, in an effort to get some belated Potassium into the over-nitrogened soil. I don't know how much longer I should carry on with it though?

I have also snipped back the ends of the larger/taller stems, by an inch or so, to encourage hardening off. But I'm not sure if this is enough for the purpose? It sort of goes against instincts to chop away much hard-earned growth (I know, plants are supposed to respond by growing more) so I'd appreciate any advice on how much cutting back is wise at this point. I live in the Midlands, if that's relevant in terms of climate.

On 16/10/2012 10:05, Sacha wrote:
On 2012-10-15 18:38:14 +0100, Roy22
said:


'Spider[_3_ Wrote:
snip

Another valuable lesson is to remember that, in winter, plants can
suffer from 'frost drought'. This is when there *is* moisture in the
ground but it is locked up and icy hard. The plants' roots are unable
to take up the solidified moisture as they can only use soluble
nutrients. I always keep a weather eye on my plants and, if they look
desperately dry and wilted, I will water them. It's a tricky decision
in icy conditions, but I find it helpful.

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

Thanks again for the further advice. I've given the privet some
Tomorite, in an effort to get some belated Potassium into the
over-nitrogened soil. I don't know how much longer I should carry on
with it though?

I have also snipped back the ends of the larger/taller stems, by an inch
or so, to encourage hardening off. But I'm not sure if this is enough
for the purpose? It sort of goes against instincts to chop away much
hard-earned growth (I know, plants are supposed to respond by growing
more) so I'd appreciate any advice on how much cutting back is wise at
this point. I live in the Midlands, if that's relevant in terms of
climate.

I think it would be best to leave them alone now. They've had so much
treatment that they might be better just having a rest, especially as
their natural resting period is upon them. I would suggest you let your
hedge look after itself. If, as Spider says, they're dry, water them but
otherwise, now, leave them be. And don't chop any more off them. They
need some frost cover which their own top growth can provide. Chopping
straight into young plants is a bit hard on them when they're trying to
put out enough leaves/branches to gather light and survive by putting
down strong roots. Usually, it's best to leave them for a year or so to
gather some root and some top growth and then lightly take out the tops
to encourage bushiness.


Yes, I think we're all agreed that you can take a break from hedge
nursing for a while. In Spring, when the warmer weather boosts new
growth, you can consider further treatment.

Your hedge is a year old near enough, so it should be able to cope with
winter weather. If, however, you have *very* heavy snow, it may be
worth using a broom to brush the thick snow layer off the top of the
hedge, to prevent the weight of snow breaking or distorting the plants.
A light covering of snow is not a problem and may, indeed, act as an
insulating blanket. It's the weight of thick snow building up that can
be troublesome.

Relax now and have a good winter.

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

Yes, I think we're all agreed that you can take a break from hedge
nursing for a while. In Spring, when the warmer weather boosts new
growth, you can consider further treatment.

Your hedge is a year old near enough, so it should be able to cope with
winter weather. If, however, you have *very* heavy snow, it may be
worth using a broom to brush the thick snow layer off the top of the
hedge, to prevent the weight of snow breaking or distorting the plants.
A light covering of snow is not a problem and may, indeed, act as an
insulating blanket. It's the weight of thick snow building up that can
be troublesome.

Relax now and have a good winter.


I would say your privet has had enough pampering, now is the time to let
it stand on it's own 2 feet so to speak.
Privet is as tough as old boots when left to it's own devices.