How to recover a dry hedge? There are many ways to do it, but in order to act it is necessary to know the causes that cause the hedge to dry out. You can start to recover the hedge by pruning dead or diseased plants, watering them and feeding them regularly.. With a thick layer of mulch and compost, hedges can be restored to health. And that's a wonderful thing to do.
The key to recovering a dry hedge is regular care over a long period of time. Initial troubleshooting attempts can take hard work, especially if you have to prune much of the plant, or even replace it, and making changes to the soil structure to fix the drainage will make you sweat. As with other gardening tasks, the recovery process will take time, but the plants should recover in a year or two if the correct tasks are done.
Why do hedges dry out?
Many times the first and main cause of a dry hedge is poor maintenance, with absent or excessive irrigation or carried out at inappropriate times. It can also be due to too dry seasons, soils that are too dry and poor in nutrition or because of attacks by fungal agents and viruses and diseases, or even due to an inappropriate pH for the type of plant we have. Hedges tend to dry out completely or partially for any of these reasons. But the situation is not always irrecoverable. If the hedge seems dry, it will be necessary to intervene.
What to do to recover a dry hedge?
Management
If the hedge is dry, what to do? Firstly, the cause must be precisely identified: if the hedge has been attacked by fungi or viruses, it must be treated with systemic fungicides and possibly pruned to aid the rebirth of new shoots. Before cutting off the dry parts, and removing them completely from the ground, it is important to make sure that they are really dry at the root.
In fact, if the presence of some still green twigs is detected at the base of the hedge, it is not necessary to prune them. In this way a regrowth of the hedge is guaranteed. But you do have to remove all the dry parts and wait for the branches to grow to bloom again.
Bad watering
In the event that the hedge is dry due to poor irrigation, either by excess or by default, it will be necessary to intervene in the irrigation system. In this situation, an underground irrigation system can be configured with perforated pipes, throughout the entire hedge. This is the optimal solution for constantly watering your garden hedges. And do not forget to program them to water the hedge when necessary.
Insects
If the hedge is dry from insects, there are some common methods to deal with insect problems:
- Soapy water: You will be surprised how effective a little soapy water followed by a little pressure water can be in getting rid of the unwanted inhabitants of your hedge.
- Nematodes: It is a biological method that consists of killing insects with microscopic worms. There are many different species of nematodes that adapt to various types of adversaries. Although it is not the cheapest option, it is undoubtedly the most natural.
Insecticides are not the most popular option today due to the environmental damage they can cause.
PH imbalances
If the hedge is dry due to pH imbalances it is important to know the pH balance that has the soil of the hedge (acid or alkaline) since it has to be the correct one so that it can absorb the nutrients it needs. The ideal neutral balance is a pH level of 7,0 ,. Using a simple meter like this you will be able to check the levels that there are and apply the necessary adjustments.
In the case that the soil is acidic, with a pH of 0 to 6, you can increase the pH with lime (the stone, not the fruit) or wood ash. After incorporating these components into the soil, wait three months before retesting. There are other remedies if your soil is alkaline, with a pH of 8-14, such as sulfur and peat moss, but the easiest method is to apply suitable mulches or compost.
Aftercare
A healthy hedge requires regular pruning and watering, a good diet every now and then, and a little love. and close attention with careful pruning and a mulch or compost aid around the base of the plant. '
However, once overcome, the long-term rehabilitation of your plants only requires a little more care and attention from time to time, as well as a lot of time. Plants want to grow, and if you have solved the problem, they will respond positively.
A dry hedge can quickly turn into a hedge full of buds and growths fresh that, if protected from pests, diseases and well maintained, can mature into sturdy branches and leaves over time.