A row of established boxwoods had began turning yellow and brown throughout a scorching Pacific Northwest summer time. Reddit person u/run_nurse_run had moved into the home a few months earlier and was watering the shrubs twice per week, however needed to know whether or not the discoloration meant they wanted extra water.
A number of responses pointed to the hedge itself. The boxwoods had been reduce into dense rectangular kinds, and one landscaper mentioned years of repeated shearing might be contributing to the issue together with solar publicity. Different gardeners who had grown boxwoods really helpful fewer cuts and a much less inflexible form.
Tight Shearing Might Have Contributed to the Browning
u/herrron, who mentioned landscaping is their career, recognized the shrubs as Buxus sempervirens. They suspected direct solar was contributing to the discoloration and mentioned the shrubs nonetheless wanted water throughout the dry season, however extra water alone won’t clear up the issue.
In addition they pointed to repeated shearing. Slicing boxwoods into dense kinds creates hundreds of heading cuts and thick exterior development that limits mild contained in the shrubs. Their suggestion was one shear on a cool, damp day in April or Might, eradicating the earlier 12 months’s development as a substitute of shearing the hedge two to 4 instances throughout summer time. Scorching, sunny days must be prevented when slicing.
Different Boxwood Homeowners Really helpful a Looser Form
u/NixyVixy had related established boxwoods within the PNW. After an previous tree was eliminated, the shrubs acquired extra solar and several other turned yellow throughout the first 12 months. They recovered, and the proprietor mentioned they’d gone virtually a decade with out one other trim.
u/sullimareddit really helpful pruning particular person stems by hand as a substitute of shearing your entire floor. Eradicating chosen stems opens areas for mild contained in the shrub and produces a rounder type as a substitute of the dense rectangular hedge proven within the photograph.
Not everybody agreed that solar and shearing defined the discoloration. Different commenters urged drought stress, scorch after trimming, mites, or illness, so the photograph alone couldn’t set up a single trigger.
Picture credit score: Reddit person u/run_nurse_run
