I think my hedge is dying/dead??
 

Hi,

I just moved into a house with a garden (rented property) recently after living in a city centre for 10 years. I must admit I haven't got a single clue what I'm doing. I cut my hedge and now parts of it seem to be dying. It needs cutting again but I daren't incase more of it starts dying.

Can someone look at the picture I've attached and perhaps recommend something I can buy or do to help restore it?

Many thanks
Gavin

"gavinf" wrote in message
...

Hi,

I just moved into a house with a garden (rented property) recently
after living in a city centre for 10 years. I must admit I haven't got
a single clue what I'm doing. I cut my hedge and now parts of it seem
to be dying. It needs cutting again but I daren't incase more of it
starts dying.

Can someone look at the picture I've attached and perhaps recommend
something I can buy or do to help restore it?

It's a Leylandii, isn't it? Cut it back too far and it's dead, nothing you
can do about it, they will not regrow from old wood.

Andy.

I've no idea what it is but thanks for the input. Told you I was clueless! Guess I'd better call the landlord and tell him what I've done. I was just getting to like it here too :-(

In article , gavinf gavinf.1r2kvy@gar
denbanter.co.uk writes

I've no idea what it is but thanks for the input. Told you I was
clueless! Guess I'd better call the landlord and tell him what I've
done. I was just getting to like it here too :-(

It's not dead yet! There are still lots of green bits.

It may not be your fault, so don't be too hasty to assume the blame.
"I'm worried about the hedge - it seems to have a lot of brown bits on
it and I'd like your advice" might be a good way of opening the
conversation.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Thanks Kay! I've left a message to call me and that's exactly how I'll approach I think :-)

gavinf wrote in message
...

Hi,

I just moved into a house with a garden (rented property) recently
after living in a city centre for 10 years. I must admit I haven't got
a single clue what I'm doing. I cut my hedge and now parts of it seem
to be dying. It needs cutting again but I daren't incase more of it
starts dying.

Can someone look at the picture I've attached and perhaps recommend
something I can buy or do to help restore it?

Many thanks
Gavin


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--
gavinf

Hi Gavin,

I thought it was a Thuja, but it still won't grow back if you cut into old
wood. There is a fungal disease of coniferous trees called Phytophthera
(sp?) which would create brown patches where growth has died back. Usually,
when I've heard about Phytophthera, it's because a tree is dead, or almost,
so it is easy to get the impression that it is fatal. (It may be!?). Have
a google on Phythophthera and see if this gives you a) an image for
comparison, b) a remedial course of action. A disease like this would
certainly relieve you of blame/guilt.

On the other hand, if the dead growth is where you know you've cut back into
old wood, it may help to reduce the height of the hedge. By cutting back
the top-growth, new growth lower down should be stimulated. You'll never
get the dead wood to 'green up' again, but you may get enough new growth to
disguise the damage.

You should still talk to your landlord, of course. Hope it goes well.
Spider

Spider wrote:
gavinf wrote in message
...

Hi,

I just moved into a house with a garden (rented property) recently
after living in a city centre for 10 years. I must admit I haven't
got a single clue what I'm doing. I cut my hedge and now parts of
it
seem to be dying. It needs cutting again but I daren't incase more
of it starts dying.

Can someone look at the picture I've attached and perhaps
recommend
something I can buy or do to help restore it?

[...]

I thought it was a Thuja, but it still won't grow back if you cut
into old wood. There is a fungal disease of coniferous trees
called
Phytophthera (sp?) which would create brown patches where growth
has
died back. Usually, when I've heard about Phytophthera, it's
because
a tree is dead, or almost, so it is easy to get the impression that
it is fatal. (It may be!?). Have a google on Phythophthera and
see
if this gives you a) an image for comparison, b) a remedial course
of action. A disease like this would certainly relieve you of
blame/guilt.

On the other hand, if the dead growth is where you know you've cut
back into old wood, it may help to reduce the height of the hedge.
By cutting back the top-growth, new growth lower down should be
stimulated. You'll never get the dead wood to 'green up' again,
but
you may get enough new growth to disguise the damage.

You should still talk to your landlord, of course. Hope it goes
well.
Spider

If the picture is typical, I don't think Gavin needs to worry: those
rather small brown bits will soon be covered up as the green bits
grow. I've never grown thuja plicata myself, but I agree this looks
like it from the colour (are its sprays that shape, though?) Spider's
advice is sound stuff.

So, Gavin, don't have a worried weekend, and -- if, as I say, the
picture is typical of the whole -- I don't think you need to talk to
the landlord unless the thing looks awful come September, but I fancy
it won't.

If you do still want to prune (you don't say why), restrict yourself
to trimming branches individually, and always leave plenty of green
on each one: as Spider says, if you cut to bare wood on a typical
conifer it won't grow back.

--
Mike.