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Leylandi and Osmacote


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Several suppliers recomend using Osmacote when planting Leylandi and I wonder if anyone has experience of whether it's as beneficial as suggested. Also any clues as to where to get hold of it in SW France ?

I have looked in several Jardineres but seen no mention of it even on in the ingredients of bags of fertilser.

We are about to plant something like80 60-80cm Cypress Leylandi 60cm's apart with the ultimate aim of creating a dense 5m -8m high screen on 2 sides of our property. We have no near neighbours to worry about and in fact on the sides in question it wouldn't matter if they reached considerably higher.

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Ernie, sorry I can't help because I have not heard about using Osmacote with leylandii. We too are about to plant about 65  60-80cm in two rows about 80cm apart. The one in the second row in the middle of the 80 cm of the first row. If that makes sense. [8-)] We are waiting for someone to get back to us on doing the work. I will be interested in any replies regarding the Osmacote, I had just assumed that fertiliser would not be necessary.

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Hello

 I also live in the Lot and when I moved into my house there was a hedge of Leylandii about 75metres long by 3 metres high - unfortunately they had all died in the incredible heatwave of 2003!!! So I dont know about osmacote but maybe an automated watering system??

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[quote user="BJSLIV"]

Presumably this stuff....

http://www.osmocote.com/

http://www.puteaux-sa.fr/835osmoc.htm

Personally I would recommend glyphosate rather than a fertilizer.

[/quote]

[:D] I  have never understood why people hate this so much, what is it exactly?  It is big and very green.[:D] We are needing a very fast, very big and dense hedge. What better than Leylandii!

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[quote user="Russethouse"]

Isn't it a question of right plant, right place ?

[/quote]Exactly RH, people are evil not trees, except perhaps for the Sycamore that is - see below ! 

Thanks for the links, I'll do some reading.

WJT: Same for us, we need something dense and tall and fast and there is nothing better for the job. I understand about the rows BTW and considered it myself but decided to go with one row.

I suspect that most of those so vehemently against them have had an unfortunate experience with one at some time but given my needs or yours might change their minds.

I have a friend in UK who's house is in a hollow where terrestrial TV is very poor so relies on Sky but the neighbour on his South side has allowed his Leylandi to grow unchecked to the extent that they now block the line of site for his disk but he refuses to trim them and seemingly there is nothing my pal can do about it. The neighbour also has constantly yapping dogs and no, he's not French [:-))]

IMHO if any tree deserves strict control its the bl**dy Sycamore but then I'll admit to being biased because I used to have a 60 foot specimen on my property in UK, (used to being the operative phrase [;-)]). Even so it's it's not the tree thats evil more the person who allowed it to take root and grow because this was without question the WRONG tree in the WRONG place and would still be there if my local council hadn't screwed up when I applied to cull it.

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Thanks for the tips on the fertiliser, I wasn't aware it would even be necessary with leylandii. With 65 trees, it looks as if I will certainly have to look at buying quite a lot, but not as much as Ernie will need for his 80.[:)] RH, well said about the right plant in the right place.

Ernie, happy to see that we aren't the only ones that will be planting loads of these trees at the moment. In fact, we may even be planting more in a different area in the future. I can understand why they have the bad reputation they do though, particularly with close neighbours. But in our case, they will not be close to anyone and we would like them to grow as big as possible and as far as I can tell, there is nothing better for this job than leylandii. [:)]

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From what I can tell it's pretty cheap and a little goes a long way but a trawl through the local Jardinere and Gamm Vert has so far proved fruitless although there are third party alternatives.

Fortunately we're going to UK on Sunday for a week for my daughters wedding so we'll have an opportunity to look for some there.

All else failing it's available on good old eBay [:D]

PS: I got the tip about it from here http://www.evergreenhedging.co.uk/FAQ.htm and there's other useful info too.

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Congratulations Ernie on your daughters wedding! Well worth the trip back.[:D]

Thank you for the link and the tip, I will have a good look at it.

By the way, you are talking to a convert, I don't think there are too many days that go by that I don't have a look at eBay, had a delivery from the states for a sink drain this morning. [Www]

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The thing to bear in mind with Leylandii is the end result. If you have masses of space, no prospect of complaining neighbours and will never blot out a desirable view, perhaps they have a place. But if at some point you will want to cut them back, it can be a huge job once they have got beyond manageable height and width. And, as has been mentioned, disposal of the debris is a problem.

If there is one thing I would change about our French garden it would be removal of the large/long Leylandii hedge that borders 2 sides. A uniformly green "wall" that doesn't seem to play host to much wildlife is not my idea of a rural view. We are forever having to cut it back and cart trailer loads to the tip (while they will still accept it) and it is still getting away from us.  I hope to get round to replacing it one day but meanwhile each year - each week! - the problem gets bigger....

I was wondering if I could remove it bit by bit by occasionally digging up the odd tree (which is what they are effectively) and filling in with, say, beech.  But I wonder how well the beech sprigs will take so close to an established evergreen "forest".

Sorry if I have moved this somewhat off topic.

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[quote user="Alan Zoff"]

I was wondering if I could remove it bit by bit by occasionally digging up the odd tree (which is what they are effectively) and filling in with, say, beech.  But I wonder how well the beech sprigs will take so close to an established evergreen "forest".

[/quote]

Thats exactly what I am doing, removing about 120 m of large old leylandii. Its damned hard work getting the roots out. I reckon they reduce the garden width / length by about 2 m per hedge. All are 3+ m tall and its impossible to trim. Also, I dont know why, but my wife only needs to brush lightly against a leylandii hedge and then has loads of small itchy blistery type spots where the branches touched.

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If you're determined to plant Leylandii, use the "golden" version which is a bit more interesting than the plain green and grows almost as fast. Castlewellan comes to mind but I may be wrong and I'm too lazy to Google. I did want to say that the "doesn't support wildlife" isn't strictly accurate. We had a Leylandii or three in Wiltshire and we had plenty of birds nesting / roosting in them - particularly blackbirds and chaffinches. They don't play host to as many bugs etc as oaks, ash, beeches etc though.

If you do want to keep them in check, you can't trim them back into old wood so it's best to get them to the height you think you want and cut them regularly rather than leave them to their own devices and have to do major surgey - from which they may not recover well.

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[quote user="powerdesal"]...my wife only needs to brush lightly against

a leylandii hedge and then has loads of small itchy blistery type spots

where the branches touched.

[/quote]

I used to cut large branches of leylandii for Christmas decorations and

frequently got cut by the sharp, spiny "scales". She presumably has an

allergy. [:'(]

BTW, re Osmacote - I think we put some well-rotten chicken manure in

the trench we dug for them but nothing fancy. They really do not need

it.[:-))]
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[quote user="Catalpa"][quote user="powerdesal"]...my wife only needs to brush lightly against

a leylandii hedge and then has loads of small itchy blistery type spots

where the branches touched.

[/quote]

I used to cut large branches of leylandii for Christmas decorations and

frequently got cut by the sharp, spiny "scales". She presumably has an

allergy. [:'(]

][/quote]

Our conclusion also, which is why the leylandii is going.

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You're absolutely right Catalpa, its all in the management which goes back to RH's comment "right tree right place" to which one could add - right maintainence.

Unruly tress of any sort can be a problem, it's not an exclusive Leylandii issue. There was a case on TV recently where someone had a massive Lime tree partially overhanging their thatched roof ,the sap and droppings from which were destroying it, but the local council refused to allow him to cull it.

I know what I'd have done in that circumstance, the fine would be infinitely cheaper than a new roof [;-)]

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We actually have no plans to manage the trees we are planting, they are a long way from the house. I assume that it isn't necessary to manage and that this would just allow them to grow very large.

We do have a huge one on our property that hasn't been managed, at least I think it is leylandii. It is rather close to the house and I was hoping to have it cut back by more than half rather than cut it down. However, after reading Catalpa's post, now I'm worried that we won't be able to this. I may post a photo to ask advice before doing anything and ask what sort of cypress it is.

Ernie, if I do, I will start a new thread so I won't be high jacking yours anymore than I have.[:$]

Let us know how the wedding goes.[:)]

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[quote user="Chris Head"]

Oh god Ernie...don't do it! Even the very word Ley... sends shivers down the spine! No chance of mixed deciduous hedging or something else?

Leyl... do get out of control quickly ernie... got a piccy somewhere.....

[/quote]

OK Chris, why wouldn't you want to try and stop me as well? [:D]

I was going to start a new thread to ask this but hopefully Ernie won't mind, I will ask it here. I just had a call with the price to plant 65 leylandii trees between 60-80 cms. This is for two rows, one behind the other with approximately 80cm between each tree for a distance of about 30 meters. I was very shocked at what I was given but perhaps it is reasonable. Before I go about asking other people, would anyone have a clue what someone would charge for this? It would also include hiring some sort of machine to dig holes or trenches. not exactly sure what sort of machine he was talking about.[:$]

By the way Chris, the cypress tree I had a question about in the past is a totally different tree I need advice for this time. This other one is HUGE, it is not the tall skinny ones, similar to the one I have just outside our front door you gave me advice about in the past. I am still debating whether to cut it down or not. I do seem to have a lot questions and problems with trees don't I.[blink]

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I was told a couple of years ago - by someone from the Forestry Commission at Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire - that no leylandii presently planted in the UK has yet reached its potential height. [:-))] It is assumed they'll make 80 ft or more... but the max height is apparently amended as they keep on growing.

WJT: as they'll happily make a spread of 8 -12 ft per tree, are you sure you need two rows?

In answer to someone who planned to substantially reduce their trees: we took the tops out of some of our trees - when they were 18 years old or thereabouts. We took out about 12ft. They continued to grow upwards, but more slowly. However, they immediately bushed out in response to taking the leader out by about about a ft per year. The speed of encroachment on grass and drive was astounding.

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We have a Leylandii hedge at the side of our property which has been allowed by the previous owner to grow out of control,  it is about 25-30 feet tall with a spread of about 8 feet, I would leave it if it could be reduced in height and width, but I know from experience that if I cut into wood more than a season old it will die back.  So now I am having it removed which is going to cost in excess of 1000 euros!!

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A good alternative to Ley is this http://www.evergreenhedging.co.uk/thuja_plicata_atrovirens.htm

 

Thuja plicata 'Atrovirens' - Western Red Cedar

Similar to green leylandii to look at but slightly slower growing. Dark olive-green leaves that can turn bronze-green in winter. Has a pleasant, fruity fragrance when the leaves are crushed. Keep it regularly trimmed and it can be kept at any height and any width. Can be cut back into old wood and it will re-shoot. Any free-draining soil in sun or shade. Rate of growth: up to 75cm per year.

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