Make sure your hedge has a good start in its first two years of life by giving it plenty of care and attention. The first two years of a hedge’s life in Salt Lake City require special attention, and we’ve laid out everything you can do to help it thrive.
1. Weeding
A newly planted hedge needs your attention most during the first summer after planting. It’s crucial to provide the new hedge adequate access to water, sunlight, and nutrients while it’s becoming established. During at least the first two years after planting, the whole width of the area around the hedge must be kept clear of weeds (including grass). This ensures that the hedge receives adequate amounts of water, sunlight, and nutrients without interference. An option to reduce the number of weeds in your garden is to apply mulch.
2. Watering
In the first year following planting, a young hedge will often emerge from dormancy significantly later than an already established hedge of the same species. When new leaves appear, it is especially important to monitor watering since the weather may be rather warm. An effective mulch can also prevent water evaporation.
Hedge plants, especially new ones, need consistent, deep watering, especially during dry periods. This is especially true of evergreens grown in root balls. When temperatures are high, new evergreen plants, especially those planted from a bare root or root ball, may moult’ their leaves or develop a yellowish tint. This is a natural reaction from the plant as it attempts to limit water use while sending out new roots. It will only take a few more weeks of diligent watering and fertilizing for the plants to catch up once the new growth begins to develop.
3. Prevent Wildlife-Related Damage
A fresh hedge can be severely damaged by rabbits. There are not many solutions if rabbits are a problem in your landscape. Choose non-edible plant varieties, including Box and Yew, to avoid rabbit damage. Instead, you might safeguard the stems of the hedge plants by using spiral tree guards if you have selected a hedge plant whose foliage tastes good to rabbits. It’s important to keep an eye on your hedge since it might be damaged by a variety of tiny creatures.
Preventing Wind Damage
Newly planted hedges will swing and shake in even a light breeze. Extreme winds can uproot plants, exposing their roots to water and soil, which can be harmful. It’s important to keep an eye on your new hedge and re-firm plants as needed until they’re established. In windy and exposed areas, plants may benefit from being staked. You might benefit from using windbreak netting in particularly windy areas.
5. Pruning
When they are planted, most hedges never need to be pruned. When the hedges have been planted, any broken or stray stems can be cut away and a little trim performed.
If the yearly growth of deciduous hedges is pruned, the hedges will produce a denser barrier in the years that follow and do so more quickly. The sides of most evergreens don’t need trimming until the second year, but after that, occasional heavy pruning may be necessary to keep them in the desired form. To encourage fullness, trim the top of your new hedge to a height that is slightly below your desired final cut.
