Caring for cherry laurel: watering, fertilizing & Co.

The cherry laurel looks forward to balanced care in your garden. We'll tell you here which maintenance measures are particularly important.

Of the Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is one of the most popular evergreen hedge plants in German gardens. It is fast-growing, opaque and incredibly location-tolerant. But even this comrade, who is easy to be satisfied, needs sufficient care to guarantee healthy growth and to keep it in the fence. Therefore, there are a few things to consider, especially when fertilizing and pruning. In return, you will be rewarded with a magnificent and vital plant that will protect you from prying eyes in no time at all.

A plant that registers up to 40 centimeters of new growth per year must be supplied with sufficient energy in the form of water and nutrients. It is therefore important to properly fertilize and water the otherwise very undemanding cherry laurel. The evergreen foliage also contributes to the high nutrient consumption. Nevertheless, with a little preparation, the robust shrub can withstand our frosty winters without losses.

Pour cherry laurel

Due to the large leaves, the cherry laurel quickly forms opaque, green walls. However, due to the large surface area, the shrub also loses a lot of water through transpiration. Accordingly, you should regularly use the watering can, especially on sunny and warm days. In general, it is poured as soon as the surface of the earth has dried out. Wash the root area, because the cherry laurel is one of the deep roots and the root tips also want to get some of the invigorating moisture. However, there is one circumstance in which the cherry laurel, which otherwise thrives in pretty much every location, cannot grow at all befriend: He is very sensitive to waterlogging and reacts to wrong ones with a long time delay Water conditions. At the Cherry laurel plants It is therefore essential to lay out a drainage layer and loosen up heavy soil with sand.

Note: Especially with large-leaved varieties there is an increased risk of freezing in winter. Therefore, watering must also be carried out in winter, but only on frost-free days.

Fertilize cherry laurel

Fertilization is the be-all and end-all for cherry laurel, because if there is a lack of nutrients, the otherwise lush green leaves turn yellow and, in extreme cases, even fall off. more on the subject yellow leaves on cherry laurel can be read here. In this case, your hedge is no longer of much use. It is therefore important to fertilize with an organic fertilizer once or twice a year. Simply proceed as follows:

• Time: Before the new shoots in spring and in May / June
• Preferred fertilizer: ripe compost / manure or primarily organic long-term fertilizer like ours Plantura organic universal fertilizer

Before fertilizing, you should loosen and water the soil. The fertilizer is worked in on the surface, then you can mulch with bark mulch, lawn clippings or wood chips. More tips and alternatives to the optimal Fertilization of the cherry laurel You will find here.

Cut cherry laurel

The good growth, especially with hedges or cut cherry laurels, means that you have to use scissors on a regular basis. It is therefore pruned at least once a year immediately after flowering. For fast-growing varieties, a stronger cut in February and another, light cut at the end of June after flowering is recommended. Prune your cherry laurel on a frost-free, dry, and slightly cloudy day to avoid as much stress on the plant as possible and to minimize the risk of fungal infection. Otherwise, please note the following:

• Use hand scissors rather than electronic scissors
• Wear gloves when pruning (Cherry laurel is poisonous)
• The shoots are cut before the leaves are set
• Sick shoots are cut back into the healthy wood
• Inward-growing shoots are removed so that more light falls into the plant
• Remove injured shoots (e.g. B. occurring as a result of frost damage)

The plant can also tolerate radical pruning, but this should not be done without good reason. more on the subject Cut cherry laurel You will find here.

Cherry laurel in winter

Despite the evergreen foliage, many varieties of cherry laurel are at least conditional in our country hardy, so that they can usually get through the cold season without extensive winter protection come. These include varieties such as'Caucasica‘, ‚Herbergii‘Or also 'Genolia‘. With the right moves you can also influence how much frost damage you can expect in spring. For example, low-growing varieties are considered to be harder than high-growing varieties. This is because the plant is less exposed to the cold winds. However, this can also be minimized by choosing a good location.

If the plant is well protected from the wind, there is also less risk of discovering frost damage next spring. For additional protection, you should also lay out a protective layer of mulch if this has not already been done during fertilization. This protects the root area from the cold temperatures and from evaporation. In particularly cold regions or with more sensitive varieties, you should also apply a thick layer of leaves, brushwood, moss or the like.

Note: Autumn fertilization with an emphasis on potash also promotes frost tolerance.