Moon's Graden

I am from Richmond Hill, Ontario and planted about 15 hicks yew as a
hedge on my back yard. I made two feet wide trench and planted them on
triple mix soil in a sunny area.

Now, I noticed that most of the leaves are started to turn yellow and
falling off (especially from the inside). But there are new buds
coming out on the tip of the plant. I paid $45.00 for each plant
(fif*** of them) and worried about them.

Why the leaves are turing yellow and falling off (from inside)? Are
they dying? Do they need any special fertilizer or special care?

Appreciate your response.

Thanks.

Yews in general are tough plants, and don't need a lot of fertilizer.  I'm
wondering if you inadvertently created a "bathtub" effect.  If your soil is
heavy or clay based, and you dug a trench and filled it with a lighter, more
porous soil, you may have created an area of poor drainage.   If it has been
raining, or you have been watering them a lot in an attempt to help them get
established, there may be too much water trapped around their roots.

The fact that they have new growth at the tips is encouraging--all is not
lost.  If it is a bad drainage situation, you have several options.  If they
are planted on a slope,  it might be possible to dig a series of drainage
gutters coming down from your trench, and line them with coarse gravel or
drainage pipe.  I'm not an expert on these kinds of operations; you would
want to research it.

If they were mine, and they hadn't been in place very long, I think I would
bite the bullet and dig them back up.  I would then double-dig the bed,
breaking up the clay subsoil and thoroughly incorporating the soil mix
before replanting.

If none of the above applies, it's possible they could have been mistreated
before you brought them home.  Were they pot-bound?  Were they from a big
box discount store where they may have gone without being watered?  Were
they ball and burlap plants?   A sleazy nursery can dig b&b plants without
taking care to get a decent root ball.

Good luck tracking down your problem.
Sue

Zone 6, south-central PA

I paid $45.00 for each plant

They may not be dying, but just getting used to their new
surroundings. Yews are expensive and at 45 a piece they were probably
pretty big and had been in those pots for a while. We had planted a
yew, not hicks, but something similar and it also had yellow leaves
that first year. I don't recall if it did the second year. Perhaps the
leaves/needles yellow in exchange for the energy it uses to establish
those roots.  They grow slow. Maybe a light pruning during the second
season may help them fill out a bit.

They do not need fertilizer, especially during the first year as they
just establishing their roots. It is best to leave shrubs alone the
first year. When they are older and have depleted the soil of
nutrients is when they may need extra fertilizer, or organic mulch of
some sort. Our older yews have taken to a mulch and now have many many
red berries where previously there were very few.

nan

We planted a hedge row of about 15 yews a few years ago.  I can recall a similar experience with
some browning.  Most of them just shed the brown needles then kept on growing well.
A few I had to get replaced. Someone mentioned sleazy nurseries not giving care when
they prepare them for sale, and that is so true.  So keep your eye on them, cuz when
they're ready to die, they just die -soon after purchase.  Yours sound like they do have life.
Were they b&b or container?

Also, sounds like you prepared a nice site for them.  But hopefully you planted them high
because after some time, they area will settle and you do not want them to sink too deep.
In this hedge of mine, I had one that just refused to grow.  This spring, I plucked it out of
the ground and replanted it very high.  I mounded soil around it and some mulch.  Finally
the darn thing just shot out some new growth and looks great.  It def has some catching up
to do though.  They grow SO slow.  The first year I was very disappointed with their looks
because from a distance it looked like a row of meatballs. 2nd year, bigger meatballs.  Year
#3, (this year) they're looking excellent. They'll be hedge material in another 2.   I actually gave
these babies some space to grow so filling in the gap is going to take some time.
(of course, I moved recently since so I'll miss their glory - wah! )

Anyway, mulch well, give them some peat moss, water regularly the first year and start
fertilizing the 2nd year Hollytone is excellent for them.  Good luck with yours.

Marsha