Canterbury
June
Q.
Our rose garden is bordered with a buxus sempervirens hedge that over time, has increased in size to about 500 mm high and 350 mm wide. I would like to reduce the size of the hedge to something like 400 mm high [maybe smaller] with a proportional reduction in width, so I am seeking your advice as to how hard can I prune buxus without causing too much damage to the plant. Any help you can give would be appreciated.
Murray Clark
A.
Hi Murray
A rule of thumb is to prune by a third. You can prune buxus harder than that but be prepared to look at twigs until it regenerates. Apply Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic regularly to ensure the plants recover and help stimulate new root growth. Winter is the best time to prune if you want the growth to regenerate in spring. Cut it back in stages and do this twice a year to maintain a nice manicured hedge.
Happy gardening, Tui Team
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By how much foliage should I prune off our buxus sempervirens hedge? Comments
I have a lot of Buxus hedges in my 1 acre garden. They started going brown and dying so I thought they had Buxus Blight. I sprayed several times with the appropriate spray but nothing improved. On close inspection I discovered that they were infested with Mealy bug deep in the actual hedges on stems and also just under the green leaves on the tops and sides of the hedges. I have sprayed several times with Conquerer oil but the bugs are still there and the plants still dying. I’ve had to completely remove several metres of plants. Help!
Lynda Coleman
Hi Lynda, this is a common problem with buxus. Have you tried a pyrethrum based spray? It has low toxicity and is effective on mealy bug. With any treatment, repeat applications will be required to completely eradicate. Hope for a cold winter to kill off or reduce the infestation. Other things you can do are feed the hedge with Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic and Tui Seaweed & Fish fertiliser mixed together. The seaweed helps with overall plant health and stimulates growth, the seaweed and fish is a fertiliser but also helps condition the soil and adds valuable organic matter to the soil in the way of humates. Mulch around the hedge and keep it well watered and fed through the summer months. By keeping plants actively growing, the chance of pests and disease affecting plants is reduced. Reduce your hedge by a half and spray, it may look unsightly for a while but at least you may get to the mealy bug better with your spraying. Burn or throw away the infected clippings otherwise the mealy bug could start spreading throughout the garden.
Tui Team