Leyland Help!!!

[Rachel Frizsell]

Ok, we bought and planted 8 Leylands in the back of our property last May to help with our obnoxious neighbor. They started getting scattered brown branches that were totally random throughout the tree. Went to nursery, they said feed the trees and make sure they are well watered. We watered, fed, and pounded fertilizer stakes near them for about 5 months. Note our next door neighbor has a line of 15 fully grown Leylands that run adjacent to the line we planted so I know they should be growing and not dying. Finally I started researching and came up with the assumption that they may have Canker?.....so I followed instructions and went and completely pruned off all of brown branches, but on one of them the whole top was dead and my mom cut off the whole top 2 feet of the tree. I am getting mixed responses from people saying they will and won't come back and fully thrive.....especially the one that got the top chopped off. Please help. We did not have the money for these trees to begin with and it was supposed to be a kind of pleasant solution to our problem but I don't know what I should be doing!!!

 

[Chuck]

I presume you are talking about Leyland Cypress trees? If so, when they are a non-established tree it takes a TON of water. If you post where you live I may be able to help more. You may as well dig up the tree that was topped. It will never grow upward to any satisfaction, the only upward growth will be from the limbs and the tree will always look deformed. Fertilizer stakes are totally useless. Use a good organic pelleted fertilizer every 3 months.

 

[Mike Allen]

Ok, we bought and planted 8 Leylands in the back of our property last May to help with our obnoxious neighbor. They started getting scattered brown branches that were totally random throughout the tree. Went to nursery, they said feed the trees and make sure they are well watered. We watered, fed, and pounded fertilizer stakes near them for about 5 months. Note our next door neighbor has a line of 15 fully grown Leylands that run adjacent to the line we planted so I know they should be growing and not dying. Finally I started researching and came up with the assumption that they may have Canker?.....so I followed instructions and went and completely pruned off all of brown branches, but on one of them the whole top was dead and my mom cut off the whole top 2 feet of the tree. I am getting mixed responses from people saying they will and won't come back and fully thrive.....especially the one that got the top chopped off. Please help. We did not have the money for these trees to begin with and it was supposed to be a kind of pleasant solution to our problem but I don't know what I should be doing!!!

Hi Rachel. For you in the USA, tall trees are a natural. Here in the UK, mention Leylandii and the daggers are out. Here in the UK for yonks, the weed of th forest was considered to be the Sycamore. Now sadly the Leylandii is the dreaded one.

Leylandii has become perhaps the fastest growing conifer. It is decorative, offers all year shelter for many birds etc. I love them.

When planting them. Keep all conifers well away fro the house etc. Generally their roots go deep and as they do,they suck up every drop of moisture. They are blamed for property subsidence and heavens knows what.

Conifers as we have come to know them are evergreen and attractive. At times fronds, leaves, spikes or whatever might turm brown and ugly. Ths usually is caused by an aphid that attacks conifers. Yes it is is unsghightly for a time, the suddenly it dissappears.. Enjoy your tree, OK get in there and cut out any seriously damaged parts. Live and let live.

 

[Rachel Frizsell]

Hi Rachel. For you in the USA, tall trees are a natural. Here in the UK, mention Leylandii and the daggers are out. Here in the UK for yonks, the weed of th forest was considered to be the Sycamore. Now sadly the Leylandii is the dreaded one.

Leylandii has become perhaps the fastest growing conifer. It is decorative, offers all year shelter for many birds etc. I love them.

When planting them. Keep all conifers well away fro the house etc. Generally their roots go deep and as they do,they suck up every drop of moisture. They are blamed for property subsidence and heavens knows what.

Conifers as we have come to know them are evergreen and attractive. At times fronds, leaves, spikes or whatever might turm brown and ugly. Ths usually is caused by an aphid that attacks conifers. Yes it is is unsghightly for a time, the suddenly it dissappears.. Enjoy your tree, OK get in there and cut out any seriously damaged parts. Live and let live.

 

[Rachel Frizsell]

Thank you!!!!

 

[DirtMechanic]

So I watched a nurseryman talk about the plant. It is acid loving, and your soil may be clay and alkaline. He said HollyTone or Azealea or Rhododendron fertilizer was good if your soil is neutral or alkaline. If not, regular fertilizer like your evergreen spikes would be fine. If you do a home ph test be careful to test the water you use, I have found the required "distilled water" a 6ph which would throw it off of course. Tap water is often treated to be neutral though so check it out. Pelletized sulphur is also used to lower ph. 20 bucks for a 50 pound bag at my ag store.