Hedges are one of the go-to landscaping species to create a beautiful boundary around your property.
But, what happens when your hedges dry out and begin dying?
How do you revive a dying hedge? Is it even possible?
Read on below to discover just that!
Table of Contents
How to Revive Dying Hedge
Reviving a dying hedge is possible if you detect the issue causing it to die and treat it in time. Knowing what the main cause is, behind dying hedges, is crucial in order to mend them and bring them back to life. Insects, overwatering, underwatering, pH levels and more may need addressing.
1. Detect the Cause
Before taking any actions to revive your dying hedge, you need to know what the problem with your beloved hedge is, to begin with. If not you, you may just make things worse and cause the hedge to die rather than recuperate.
Below, we discuss several of the common reasons your hedge may be dying. Hopefully, you’ll be able to recognize the signs and act as needed.
Insect Infestation
Almost everyone who has hedges planted has at least once or twice saved it from dying due to insect infestations. In general, you can treat insects in a few different ways. Washing the plants with soapy water might be helpful if the infestation is light. Insecticides, however, are more effective but can be dangerous and cause damage to plants.
Treatment hedges for Nematodes is a completely natural technique to deal with insects that are based on infecting the plant with small worms that will eventually eat the insects without harming the plant.
The most common pests on hedges though are Spider mites, and thankfully they are very easy to detect. You will notice spider webs and brown or yellow spots on the leaves. A colony can kill hedges with ease.
The most dangerous and unfortunately not so rare insect that will infest the hedge is wine weevils. Adults eat leaves ďuring the Spring and Summertime. If you don’t treat them the weevils will eat the roots during Winter time and that can cause death of the plant.
In addition, physically remove as many insects and eggs as possible. Cut of all affected parts and then prune the hedge during fall. A pesticide is an option as well, but organic is the best option. You can also use Steinernema Krausse (little parasites) that you can purchase in garden stores.
Hedges Caught a Disease
Hedges are as sensitive to specific types of diseases as every living being. There are several diseases that attack hedge species. It is very common actually, and if you notice discolored leaves and undeveloped branches, react fast.
Honey Fungus is spreading through the ground and may cause roots to die. Unfortunately, the only way to treat it is to cut off affected parts of the plant and remove the surrounding soil. It is best to burn them.
Powdery Mildew is also very often infecting hedges, but not so dangerous. A fungus that looks like white powder will cover the leaves and stems in the late summer or fall. It is not hard to get under control if spotted on time and affects only the surface of the hedges. Your plant will completely recover if you cut off and burn cut leaves and branches in the Autumn.
Only use pesticide or some sort of foliar spray to treat the disease after you’ve removed all the infected parts of the hedges.
Not Enough Water
As a hedge lover, you must be upset if you notice leaves turning yellow and brown like it is fall time and branches are falling off. If that’s the case, and it is nowhere near autumn, you may have forgotten to give the hedge enough water.
If it was a dry summertime with high temperatures and there was not a close amount of rain needed, the hedge is dying out of underwatering. Water it promptly and the hedge will fully recover.
To avoid the same situation in the future, keep in mind that a hedge during dry weather needs on average 30 to 40 liters of water per linear meter.
Too much water
If the hedge looks wilted and the leaves are turning yellow, looking overall sad, the hedge obviously got too much water. The reason could be due to heavy rain, soil that has a bad drainage system, or you watered it too often and/or too much.
Reduce or stop watering immediately and check the soil for moisture. Unfortunately, watering excessively is not one of the best practices for making hedges grow faster.
Hedges don’t like soggy soil, The roots will rot after being in the water for a prolonged time. Adding some sandy soil around the hedges helps regular the moisture and allows the hedge to recover in some time.
Wrong PH Level
The ideal PH for growing hedges is about 7.0. You can perform a test with a home PH meter in a minute. If your hedges look like they are barely growing and about to drop dead on the spot, it could be because the PH of the soil is acidic or alkaline.
In this case, the hedges are missing some of the main nutrients they need to thrive such as Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sulfur, Calcium, Magnesium, and Molybdenum.
In this case, add some limestone or wood ash along with organic compost, and continue watering as usual. After around three months, check the soil again and have a close look at the growth of the hedge.
2. Take the Appropriate Action to Revive the Dying Hedge
Once you’ve gone over the common reasons your hedge may be dying, it’s time to take proper action. Above, we’ve pointed out the proper steps to take for each reason your hedge could be dying.
Scroll back up and have another look if you need to! And also, before beginning treatments, take a closer look at your hedges and compare what you see to the common reasons why they could be dying.
There are also some general prevention steps you can take to help revive dying hedges, like amending the soil, aerating the ground around them, and planting good hedge companion plants along with them.
3. Follow Up with Proper Aftercare
After treating your hedges, inspect them regularly in order to see how they are progressing. Checking them once per week should pretty much do the trick. If you don’t see any growth or at least a halt in dying, you’ve more than likely not give it a proper treatment.
If that’s the case, revisit this article and go back over the reasons it could be dying!
When it’s all said and done, don’t forget to keep your hedges well-trimmed and properly shaped.
Daniel has been a plant enthusiast for over 20 years. He owns hundreds of houseplants and prepares for the chili growing seasons yearly with great anticipation. His favorite plants are plant species in the Araceae family, such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. He also loves gardening and is growing hot peppers, tomatoes, and many more vegetables.