Stunted Laurel Hedge

Question

I recently moved to a new house that has a beautiful laurel hedge, lush and green and around 15 feet tall. But right in the middle the bushes it’s quite stunted. The leaves are yellow and the smallest of the plants is only around three feet tall with very small leaves. Is there something I can do to help these poor plants? It is the privacy hedge between us and our neighbors. They say it has always grown this way.

Answer 1

Have the soil where those plants grow tested. If I had to bet, I would bet that a neighborhood pet either does or did their business there and the excess nitrogen in the soil is burning the plant roots, causing the poor growth. Regardless of the cause, there is something in the soil that is hurting the plants and you will need a soil test to find out what. You should be able to get a free or very inexpensive soil test done from your local extension service.