In article , martyn birch
writes
Whats the best method to beef up my hawthorn and laurel hedges? The laurel
hedge is only young, the hawthorn is mature but has just been levelled to
6ft. I was thinking of a mulch from the compost bin with some pelleted
chicken manure for good measure.

Both Hawthorn and Laurel are naturally slow growing plants, but
(depending on variety) they should both grow to much more than 6ft.
before they reach their full potential. We have 20+ ft. high bushes of
both. Trying to push them on with extra nutrients is not really the best
approach. Leave the Laurel to its own devices for a while yet, but check
the soil around the hawthorn for e.g. staleness, compaction or water-
logging. Loosen the earth around the roots to let some air in and work
in some of your compost mulch, but not the chicken manure which could be
highly nitrogenous. My guess is that it will respond by giving you a
multitude of bright red 'haws' in the autumn, then it will get down to
putting in some serious new growth next year.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.