Leylandii looking off colour

[minskey]

I planted 5ft leylandii trees in November, they are looking a little sorry for themselves; is there a 'feed' they could have? My soil is heavy clay.

Cheers

[Jeanied]

Oh, dear, Minskey - I think you may need to duck for cover, judging from the disapproval posted in the other leylandii hedge thread.

In what way are they looking sorry for themselves? If the branches have gone brown then that part has died, unfortunately. As they are quite young you can prune them regularly and the bare spots may get filled in by new branches. Bear in mind that if you cut into older wood it dies back - which is where the difficulty arises as they are fast growers which are difficult to tame. They shouldn't need feeding for a while if they are planted in clay - which is intrinsically quite a nutritious soil (unless they are replacing other leylandii).

[Glutton4...]

A sprinkling of blood, fish and bone won't do them any harm, but with the weather we've had this winter they've certainly had a struggle since planting, haven't they. They will probably perk up when the weather improves. Or should that be 'IF' . Incidentally, if they are the golden Leyland Cypress they will usually grow back if you cut back into the wood, whereas the green variety will not.

Personally, I'd have planted Photinia x fraseri 'Red Robin' instead for a feature hedge, or one of the many other lovely hedging shrubs available in this country, or even a mixed native hedge for the benefit of the wildlife. Sorry, I'm in the 'hate 'em' camp too, but I do earn a fair few quid a year looking after them for other people .

[minskey]

Sorry all you peeps hate them; I don't think leylandii are appropriate in any 'built up' area. I live in the middle of nowhere, where its my home and then The Wash followed by the north sea which is wide and empty with nothing to stop the winds comind from the artic. In my situation they make a lovely windbreak and give the birds a home in this treeless and flat landscape all that with the bonus of staying green.

Thanks for the advice of blood & bone, I planted them in gale force wind and driving rain and its been the same it seems ever since with the exception of snow

[Torreya]

Hi Minskey, I must admit I sell Leylands (steps back from all the boos) but I do only sell them as a last resort, or if the customer absolutely insists on them!
Silly question, when you bought them, were they pot-grown, or dug-up and transplanted? If it was the latter, that's why you're having probs. Leylands won't transplant from open-ground as they are so shallow-rooting, they don't form a rootball like 'normal' conifers, so a 5' tree should have a 5' diameter root - don't fancy digging a hole that wide

[sagegreen]

I don't think leylandii are appropriate in any 'built up' area.

Sorry, minskey, but i don't think leylandii are appropriate in -any- area, hate the things. If you need a windbreak hedge try Olearia, Griselinia, or even Alder.

[Glutton4...]

Sorry, minskey, but i don't think leylandii are appropriate in -any- area, hate the things. If you need a windbreak hedge try Olearia, Griselinia, or even Alder.

You obviously haven't been to The Wash, sagegreen. On a windy day it's impossible to stand upright. And they don't have non-windy days very often!

I hate them, but if I lived there I'd have planted hundreds!

[minskey]

Hi Torreya, they were pot grown & my back is still killing me from all the holes I dug

Cheers Glutton4................. You obviously know this part of the world.

Sagegreen, this is not Cornwall, it's the next stop from the artic, there is no gulf stream here......................

[sagegreen]

Woops, ok minskey and Glutton4..., your points taken, think i've been gardening in the gulf stream too long...

[enrich100]

I would tell why I hate Leylandi but a picture will sum it up a lot quicker


my house is the one under the trees