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Poor Hedging growth

I've planted some laurel hedging on my garden boundary next to a road, near the far side of the road there is a septic tank from a local house. It seems that the run off from the septic tank is making it's way acrosss the road to my boundary (under the road) and really stunting the growth of the hedging, either the hedging is suffering from possible septic tank toxins or the soil is too rich from the discharge. I have 2 Willows planted behind the hedging which are absolutely growing at speed!

I'm wondering will the laurel eventually thrive or should I consider an alternative hedge and if so - what might be suitable for the area that is generally damp and a clay based soil?

 

 

Posts

  • GemmaJFGemmaJF Posts: 2,286

    Can you totally rule out the normal establishment problems doondara? I would check this first rather than replace the hedge with a different species, just in case the same thing happens again.

    There is a good write up here of why trees and shrubs sometimes fail to establish well:

    https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=261

  • I would not expect effluent to travel far in the horizontal plane. It normally percolates downwards to the water table or impermeable layer below. Perhaps the introduction of some Mycorrhizal Fungi compound  down in the root zone might stimulate establishment. If not much growth has taken place I would dig the root ball out , shake off the loose earth and then pat a palmful of the stuff up onto the roots and replant with  some best quality compost

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

     

    If this was down to septic tank run-off your ground would be saturated. Is that the case? If this is the case there is a problem that needs sorting out by the owners of the septic tank.

    Normally it is as Curmudgeon says. Fluid level in my tank is at least 3 foot below ground and the soak-away is lower. Nowhere have I dug into the surrounding ground and met run -off from the tank.

     



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    Maybe a photo of the hedge and the surrounding area would give us some ideas image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • doondaradoondara Posts: 2

    Thank you very much guys, I'll take a photo or two to give you some greater explanation. Thank you Curmudgeon for your idea. I've had a soil sample taken as well which I'm getting analysed to better understand the soil issue. I'm at a bit of a loss as further along the Laurel is growing very strongly and nearby both the willow and a pyracantha. It's just 1 patch about 3 meters with the laurel leaves a very sickly yellow.

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