The evergreen cherry laurel is one of the hedge plants that grow very quickly and therefore form a high, dense privacy screen within just a few years. If the tree does not thrive as desired, there may be care errors.
Why isn't my cherry laurel growing?
If cherry laurel does not grow, care errors such as irregular pruning, insufficient fertilization, insufficient watering or choosing the wrong variety may be the cause. Review these factors and adjust your care accordingly.
Regular cutting accelerates growth
Many garden owners allow the laurel cherry to grow freely in the first few years because they hope that this will make the evergreen shrub grow particularly quickly. Unfortunately, the opposite is true.
If you want to support the growth of the cherry laurel, you should cut back the bush in the first spring after planting. If growth is slow, it can be helpful to also cut out the flower buds. The laurel cherry can then put all its strength into the formation of new shoots and rewards your forgoing the flowers with strong growth.
Fertilize sufficiently
The cherry laurel should be provided with fertilizer when planting. Well suited are:
- Horn shavings
- Compost
- ripe crap.
Mix the fertilizer with the topsoil and fill the planting hole with the soil. After planting, you can also add some liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water. This starting aid for the laurel cherry accelerates growth and the first shoots. However, avoid excessive fertilizer applications as these pollute the environment and can damage the plant. You should also no longer fertilize the wood in autumn, as the new shoots will not be able to mature sufficiently. The result is massive frost damage in winter.
Water regularly
The newly planted cherry laurel must first develop its heart roots properly in order to be able to survive dry phases unscathed. When freshly planted, the evergreen shrub, which evaporates a lot of moisture from its large leaf surface on hot days, requires additional watering.
Water the laurel cherry whenever the top centimeters of soil feel dry. However, be sure to avoid waterlogging, to which the cherry laurel is very sensitive.
Did you choose the right variety?
Not all laurel cherry species reach into the sky. Ground-covering or low-growing varieties such as Otto Luyken only reach their final height after years, which is only around 1.50 meters unpruned.
Tips & Tricks
If the cherry laurel thrives poorly and grows slowly, pest infestation or diseases could also be the cause. For example, the larvae of the nocturnal weevil nibble on the roots of plants and thereby massively weaken them.
