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Red Robin looking sick

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  • 27-07-2023 1:42pm
    #1
    Curse These Metal Hands
    Registered Users Posts: 1,076 ✭✭✭


    Hi,

    Does anyone have any ideas what might be affecting my hedge? Some of the plants of bright and healthy looking, the others are tired and drab looking. Pics attached.

    IMG_20230727_133602.jpg
    IMG_20230727_133929.jpg




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    #2
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,433 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    Cut them back level with the top of the fence, possibly give them a light feed, something like chicken pellets, then mulch. Looks fine to me but growing a bit stretched. Don't wait until it is the height you want before pruning back, do it continually, you will get a better hedge.



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    #3
    Curse These Metal Hands
    Registered Users Posts: 1,076 ✭✭✭Curse These Metal Hands


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120903709#Comment_120903709

    Will cutting them at the top promote growth at the bottom? They are very bare around the base



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    #4
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,433 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120906098#Comment_120906098

    Yes. The commonest mistake in creating a hedge is waiting till the bushes are the height of the hedge required before trimming them. You could even go below the level of the fence if they are very bare around the stems.



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    #5
    10-10-20
    Registered Users Posts: 7,107 ✭✭✭10-10-20


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120906335#Comment_120906335

    Can I ask a question on this very topic please.

    I did some pruning of a Portuguese Laurel last year to promote better density of the foliage around the main body of the plant (as I was told me that some of my plants were scabby 😂). In doing that I also cut the leader on each plant to promote this growth, and I do have an end requirement for a tall hedge. The hedge is currently at 5/6 foot and I need it to be 9 or more.

    Question is this: On some of the plants they threw out a strong vertical leader and continued their upward growth as well as thickening around the body. On others they didn't throw out a good vertical leader but sprouted numerous off-shoots at 45 degrees to the main stem. Is there a method to pruning this type of Laurel so that a node or specific length of stem is left so that you generate good vertical leaders in next year's growth?

    I have googled it, but it's not clear to me for Laurel! 😀



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    #6
    standardg60
    Registered Users Posts: 4,694 ✭✭✭standardg60


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120907616#Comment_120907616

    Plants will vary from one leader to several, there's no way of encouraging how many will develop when pruning as such.

    What you can do is select one of them and tie it to a bamboo cane attached to the main stem. This will encourage it to become the leader.

    Bear in mind though with a hedge it's actually preferable to have several leaders to ensure thicker growth, rather than just one reaching the height you want, so you'd still shorten the leaders a bit each year.

    Hope that makes sense.



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    #7
    10-10-20
    Registered Users Posts: 7,107 ✭✭✭10-10-20


    Thanks @standardg60. Maybe I was mislead by a example Portuguese L hedge which I was looking at in a garden center. The example was very tall, straight and narrow and appeared to be from one strong leader rather than being multiple. In my head I have been trying to see how my hedge would replicate this example, but maybe the example was wrong in terms of the fact that it does not replicate the true hedge shape, if that makes sense. I might call back into the garden center this weekend and look again and see if it thickened out much since I first saw it 3 years ago.



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