Conifer hedge Tips please?

[Coniferman]

Hi,

I am new to gardening so hopefully I have found a good place to learn!

Anyway I bought my house about two years ago and there was a very healthy looking conifer hedge between the front lawn and a pavement. However gradually, at the far end it has become more thin looking and a little brown, at least to look at from one side. (From the other side it still looks fine!)

During this time, all I have done is given it a little bit of a trim with an electric trimmer, as and when.

Is there anything else I should be doing - like watering/feeding? Where it is worst is next to quite a big tree which was sheltering it from the sun, so I gave the tree a good pruning last summer. I am thinking maybe the tree was taking all the water???


Is it ok to trim any time of the year as and when it needs it.

Thanks.

 

[lisap]

As far as I know most conifers do not regrow. Do you know what type they are? Leylandii are the common ones. They don't re grow. so where it is brown it will stay brown. You need to make sure you don't cut too far into the green so it has something to grow from! Brown can be from things like dog wee getting on it (not if its at the top!!) Or somone could be trying too kill them off (ie if your nieghbours don't like them!) There isn' t much you can do if it dying...as far as i know

 

[skybluescooby]

Plus browning can occur when exposed to constant high winds and the cold.
I planted one in my garden a few years ago and the side that faces the path, (exposed to wind) is brown yet the opposite side is a lovely green colour, I would be tempted not to trim it where and when as it could be causing more damage

 

[Coniferman]

Thanks for the replies. I'll try not to trim any more than necessary next summer then and remember not to trim to the brown parts! Shame there does not seem to be a way to stimulate new growth where it needs it.

If we do have another warm dry summer would it benefit from a watering or just leave it?

 

[lisap]

If they have been in a long time I wouldn't bother watering, we don't water ours. (But if you have plant round them the plants will need some as conifers drink alot) We only water the new ones. We have just had to replace some of ours as, the previous owner didn't look after them, they became too wide, tall and leggy! There was nothing we could do with them to improve them I tend to trim them just once a year now, about end of september beginning of october and this has helped some thicken out (but not leylandii type!!)

 

[JohnD]

People say that Leylandii don't regrow, but it isn't completely true. My neighbour had some that grew out over the pavement and street lamp, council made him have them cut back. They ere (stupidly) planted only a couple of feet from the boundary. The pruner cut them back to about 1-foot branches, but these have regrown so the tree iis green down the side facing the road again. now it gets trimmed once a year and does not have brown patches.

However, my best advice for trimming Leylandii is to prune them back to 1 inch above the ground. You may need a sturdy saw.

 

[welsh trees]

I am a tree surgeon by profession and i have seen this problem before! conifers shade out in the center and if they have no light they die back.
My answer woud be as i have done before remove browned out area and plant an exact match of conifer into the space this will grow then into the space. Providing you sort out the shade problem.
Hope that helps