Planting leylandi problem

[paulandhelen]

Hello

I have recently planted 30 2ft leylandi to grow against a fence . Purchased them from a well known nursery online . Decided to go for the bare root option

However 2 month down the line and 3-4 of them have gone or starting to go brown . Is this from over watering perhaps or under watering ? I've Been watering them maybe 3 times per week .

[WendyC]

Conifers tend to be relatively shallow rooted so I would suspect under rather than over watering. You want the trees to put their roots down deep. In this case I would water them really well say once a week. Frequent lighter watering tends to keep the roots shallow. Are you able to mulch the area with say bark chip as this will lock the moisture in quite nicely. Trouble is once leylandi go brown they won't regrow from old wood. If they are too far gone you'd be best having them out and replanting with container grown ones. Hope you've got some good hedge cutters as you'll need them.

[paulandhelen]

Conifer

Conifers tend to be relatively shallow rooted so I would suspect under rather than over watering. You want the trees to put their roots down deep. In this case I would water them really well say once a week. Frequent lighter watering tends to keep the roots shallow. Are you able to mulch the area with say bark chip as this will lock the moisture in quite nicely. Trouble is once leylandi go brown they won't regrow from old wood. If they are too far gone you'd be best having them out and replanting with container grown ones. Hope you've got some good hedge cutters as you'll need them.

Thankyou for your advice and information . I'll start to give them a good water maybe once a week in that case . I'll do as you suggest and remove the couple that have gone brown also

[SusieG]

Aaaaah, paulandhelen ........ Leylandi ......... I do hope you know what you're getting yourself into with these 'monsters' of the tree world .......?

We have inherited with our bungalow where we live now, about 2/3 'hedging' with leylandi ......
Because of many years neglect before we moved in, they are absolutely MAHOOSIVE!!! Some over 30 feet high..... and still they grow when you're not looking .......

Also - if you like to grow plants/veg - keep well away from leylandi - they'll blank out sun and nothing grows beneath them. They leave a blanket of 'needles' (don't think that's what they're called, but the bits that drop off the branches!) - even the weeds dislike them .... My lawn has shrunk back as the trees grow taller ...

Also - they can't be shredded down and added to my regular compost heap as they take far too long. Also acidic. I believe hot bin composting small pieces works, but if there's masses to dispose of, would still take years to get rid of. And the hot bins are quite pricey....

So, my experience of leylandi has pretty much left me with a hatred for it ..... akin to ivy ......

[veggiechicken]

Sorry paulandhelen but I agree with SusieG ^^^^ and would never ever plant a leylandii. In fact, I'd be thanking my lucky stars that some had died!

[paulandhelen]

Leylandi

Hi . Thanks for replies , I know what I'm letting myself in for as had them before thanks and I have always kept on top of them. They are no where near my veg , I have a large garden and they are on opposite ends or I wouldn't of planted them , I wanted them to screen a path that runs down back of my garden .

[Kirk]

They can be kept on top of but it takes work as I guess you know. But they do put out long roots and will take moisture from ground an easy 10-12 foot away on either side.

May be strange to ask but can you just plant them? Had an idea that some places/councils restrict the planting of them. They are unfortunately the type of tree that causes problems, people may complain about them just because they are there.

Neighbour maintained a hedge of them and did keep them under control but they really encroached into the gardens. When he trimmed them he literally gained 4 foot extra garden as he could easily remove 2 fopot from rach side. When they eventually went he ended up with a "biggger" garden. But the roots are still there after some 10 years.

Another aspect is that if you should decide to sell them their presence could count against you. I am debating moving and if a house had them, or a house adjoining had them them I would almost 100% walk away. Especially an adjoining one. As said that is the extent to which they have a bad reputation.

I would have opted for something like holly, one of the not so big varieties, try Highfield Hollies for a good selection:
Highfield Hollies

[SusieG]

Very wise, Kirk.. !!! STAY AWAY FROM THEM!!! They are a right royal pain in the 'arris!!!!!!

[Mrs Bee]

Oh, Lor. I planted some of those beasts when I didn't know much about gardening. They are real thugs and huge amounts of work to keep them tidy. And if you let them get away from you can't cut them back without them going brown. We cut ours down and replaced them with yew.

I tend to go with yew as a good alternative to Leylandii. They are quicker growing than people realise and if you need to prune hard they come back green.

I think I am right in saying that there are regulations now about people planting Leylandii hedges.

[Cadalot]

I wish I had a £1 for every property on clay that I visit and they are the cause of subsidence.

[SaraJH]

We have a leylandii 'hedge' along our back fence. When we moved in 3 years ago it was taller than the houses behind us. Each year we pay a tree surgeon to take it down even further and in the next couple of weeks he's coming back to chop a load more of. Hopefully it will then be down to about 15 foot.

I love the privacy that it gives us but it is a pain in the backside to ensure that it doesn't block out light. If we chopped it right down we would be overlooked which I really don't like the idea of. It's a tricky balancing act between the privacy and ensuring that it doesn't dominate us and our neighbours.

[SusieG]

I still would've liked to have had something else that was less pervasive .......

Don't ever choose leylandi if you have the chance to pick your hedge .... Go for anything else .....(not ivy ......!!!)

[paulandhelen]

Leylandi

Hi everyone , I think you all missed my point . I've already planted them , as I like them , had them before and I'm aware of the reasons behind why people don't like them .

I only asked what to do about them going Brown and the reason it might be .

[Martin H]

Despite their disadvantages, Leylandii properly cared for makes a really nice hedge. Any height you want, nice dense evergreen coverage from bottom to top.

Replace any that haven't taken and carry on!

[SaraJH]

I agree Martin, I have a love hate relationship with ours but they do their job and they do it very very well.