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
Quote:
> 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.