Hey everyone! I planted some baby beech hedges about two months ago during the peak of summer when we were facing heatwaves and drought conditions. Thankfully, they seemed to take well and even had some new growth. However, about two weeks ago, I noticed they started to turn brown, which freaked me out. I panicked and ended up flooding them with water and removing all the dead leaves. Now I'm wondering if the browning is just a natural part of their seasonal cycle, especially with autumn approaching. Did I do too much damage to my hedges? Some of them are quite bare now, and I feel kind of dumb! Is there any hope for them?
2 Answers
It's actually a bit early in the season for the leaves to turn brown simply due to temperature changes. Considering the dry conditions in the UK lately, it's likely they started browning because they were stressed from the heat and lack of water, so your decision to water them was spot on! Just a tip: leaving the brown leaves on could have provided some protection against the harsh conditions. Since it's been so dry, the soil dries out more quickly than usual, so I recommend mulching around the base of your hedges to help retain moisture. Keep watering them (a slow soak is best) at least once a week until we get some good rain.
Do you see any buds on the branches? Little leaf buds? That’s a good sign! If there are brown buds at the ends of the branches, it means they might still be alive but just stressed out. Keep up with the watering and mulching as others suggested; they could bounce back!
Yes, I see some brown little buds at the ends of the branches. I’m hopeful they’re alive! Thanks for the advice; I’ll definitely keep watering and add mulch.
I totally get that! In my area, trees are looking more like it's mid-September, all because of the dryness. It's really stressing them out and causing some to drop leaves earlier than expected.