Laurel Hedge Dying

[theparrots]

Sir my Laurel hedge has started to die off,it is twenty years old and has been kept clipped down to five feet in height,last summer i saw ons plant start to turn yellow then brown this is now running along the hedge i have now lost six bushes.

[Secretary99]

You should have got a more 'Hardy' one.

[tenrec]

Do you suspect foul play?

[Tilly2]

Have you 'googled' laurel hedge disease?

[EvergreenRoger]

I would have thought the two most likely reasons would be honey fungus or waterlogging.

Honey fungus can spread through the soil by black 'bootlace' structures called rhizomorphs. It will spread from one plant to the next in a hedge so they die off one by one in turn. Look out for clumps of toadstools, the smell of mushrooms and a white fungal growth under the bark of infected plants at the base of the stem. If it is this, the only option is to put in a physical barrier to stop the rhizomorphs spreading such as rubber butyl pond lining buried in the soil to about 18 inches deep, or re-plant with something more tolerant to honey fungus such as Beech or perhaps Photinia. Unfortunately, honey fungus attacks many plant species. The Royal Horticultural Society has good info on this
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=180

If the soil has become very wet it could be the roots rotting in waterlogged soil. As a result, the plant get enough water to the leaves so you get yellowing of the leaves and them falling off. Do you know how wet the soil is?

Dr Roger Eavis
Evergreenhedging.co.uk

[theparrots]

I have very heavy clay soil but then again i have over one hundred feet of Laurel this has only happened at one end of one row all the remainder are healthy,i have cut out all the ailing plants,one thing i forgot to mention is that this starts with dark spots on the leaves.

[vulcan]

Probably leaf spot.
http://www.ehow.co.uk/list_6300295_diseases-compact-english-laurel-shrubs.html
Rowallane House, a National Trust property in Northern Ireland, has just spent thousands removing 13 acres of laurel because of this disease.

[smurfchops]

You may need Nematodes. I had this problem and there was a bug in the earth eating the roots, which killed off loads of plants including laurel. They are easy to apply, tiny tiny insects which eat the bugs! You can't see them, you just mix the sachet with water and sprinkle on the earth. They also killed of loads of slugs and I hardly get any in my garden now. Google Nematodes before you lose any more bushes! I had to replace a laurel three years ago and it is now growing strong. I only used nematodes once so well worth it.

[Chipchopper]

I would suggest, removing any suspect bushes and replacing when seen

Yew makes a good evergreen alternative, if livestock is not an issue and it appears to be highly resistant to honey fungus (Armilaria) if that is indeed what you have