Is there any way in which rhododendron ponticum could kill a length of
beech hedge? The rhodo shrub is regularly trimmed and has been kept
under control probably since it was first planted. It looks as if there
is no way that it could ever have overgrown the hedge. The hedge is
about six feet high and thick. Both the beech hedge and the rhodo must
be pretty old - the house itself is Victorian. We've been asked by the
owner to buy in some potted beech hedging to fill in a seven foot gap.

This gap is directly opposite the rhodo, but about three to four feet
away from the rhodo itself. John, the owner has said something about
putting lime in with the roots of the beech when planting, to help to
"counteract" the rhodo, which he says killed the beech hedge at this
point. Could the rhodo roots have done any damage to the hedge? Can
anybody help with this - it's not our garden, and I'm a bit puzzled by
his comments. Thanks.
--
Susie Thompson, Isle of Arran
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"SusieThompson" wrote in message ...
Is there any way in which rhododendron ponticum could kill a length of
beech hedge? The rhodo shrub is regularly trimmed and has been kept
under control probably since it was first planted. It looks as if there
is no way that it could ever have overgrown the hedge. The hedge is
about six feet high and thick. Both the beech hedge and the rhodo must
be pretty old - the house itself is Victorian. We've been asked by the
owner to buy in some potted beech hedging to fill in a seven foot gap.

This gap is directly opposite the rhodo, but about three to four feet
away from the rhodo itself. John, the owner has said something about
putting lime in with the roots of the beech when planting, to help to
"counteract" the rhodo, which he says killed the beech hedge at this
point. Could the rhodo roots have done any damage to the hedge? Can
anybody help with this - it's not our garden, and I'm a bit puzzled by
his comments. Thanks.
--
Might be worth looking for signs of Honey fungus (Armillaria spp) but even if you do find it don't panic - it's almost
everywhere there are woody plants - yer average British wood is full of it, but it's still a wood ;~))) Armillaria tends
to attack plants that are in trouble for some other reason. In this case possibly competion for water and food if not
for light though I do wonder if the Rhodo has been much bigger at sometime and has a bigger root system than its present
size would suggest - it is a real thug and it's done serious damage to other plants here by competition and shading. I'm
not too optimistic about filling a gap in a very old hedge. Lots of good preparation and well rotted organic material,
change some soil if you can and good aftercare on the watering side will increase your chances. Lime (if needed) would
be better added as ground limestone or chalk rather than hydrated lime)
A footnote about Armillaria - it is often most damaging in well cultivated gardens, out in the wild or in a woodland
garden like mine it seems to have difficulty spreading through hard ground full of tree roots.

Rod

Rod

The message
from SusieThompson contains these words:

Is there any way in which rhododendron ponticum could kill a length of
beech hedge? The rhodo shrub is regularly trimmed and has been kept
under control probably since it was first planted. It looks as if there
is no way that it could ever have overgrown the hedge. The hedge is
about six feet high and thick. Both the beech hedge and the rhodo must
be pretty old - the house itself is Victorian. We've been asked by the
owner to buy in some potted beech hedging to fill in a seven foot gap.

This gap is directly opposite the rhodo, but about three to four feet
away from the rhodo itself. John, the owner has said something about
putting lime in with the roots of the beech when planting, to help to
"counteract" the rhodo, which he says killed the beech hedge at this
point. Could the rhodo roots have done any damage to the hedge? Can
anybody help with this - it's not our garden, and I'm a bit puzzled by
his comments. Thanks.

Rp was planted in Arran in Victorian times as game cover, then spread
widely by seed; it's very invasive in much of west Scotland. It shades
out all plants smaller than itself and prevents seed germination of
other species by a chemical in its decaying leaves. One plant can easily
reach 15 ft high and across. It's common to clear cut it right to ground
level in a (fruitless) attempt to kill it. Unless the stump is pulled
out or poisoned it regrows (up to 3 ft in a year)and in a very few years
you can't tell it was ever cut. So, despite its present appearance,
perhaps the rhododendron was once much bigger and much closer to the
beech hedge, and shaded out part of it?

Janet.

SusieThompson wrote in message .. .
Is there any way in which rhododendron ponticum could kill a length of
beech hedge? The rhodo shrub is regularly trimmed and has been kept
under control probably since it was first planted. It looks as if there
is no way that it could ever have overgrown the hedge. The hedge is
about six feet high and thick. Both the beech hedge and the rhodo must
be pretty old - the house itself is Victorian. We've been asked by the
owner to buy in some potted beech hedging to fill in a seven foot gap.

This gap is directly opposite the rhodo, but about three to four feet
away from the rhodo itself. John, the owner has said something about
putting lime in with the roots of the beech when planting, to help to
"counteract" the rhodo, which he says killed the beech hedge at this
point. Could the rhodo roots have done any damage to the hedge? Can
anybody help with this - it's not our garden, and I'm a bit puzzled by
his comments. Thanks.

Rhodo ponticum is a recognised weed. Nothing will grow
near it again,except...rhodo ponticum.It ranks alongside
japanise knotweed in some hill regions.See google rhodo society
for more info.

This gap is directly opposite the rhodo, but about three to four feet
away from the rhodo itself. John, the owner has said something about
putting lime in with the roots of the beech when planting, to help to
"counteract" the rhodo, which he says killed the beech hedge at this
point.

Before you consider adding any lime, it might be worth buying a soil testing
kit and testing the soil acidity. You'll also need some distilled water (not
tap water) to add to the soil/tester to obtain accurate results. Only then can
you judge whether it's necessary to add any lime.

Secondly, if the roots are a problem it may be worthwhile digging a narrow
trench down between the Rhodie and the Beech hedge to cut off and roots that
may have spread from the Rhodie and killed the hedge off, though I'm not sure
whether this is actually an issue.

Hope this helps.

Dave.

In message , DaveDay34
writes
Secondly, if the roots are a problem it may be worthwhile digging a narrow
trench down between the Rhodie and the Beech hedge to cut off and roots that
may have spread from the Rhodie and killed the hedge off, though I'm not sure
whether this is actually an issue.

Can rhodie roots actually have killed off beech hedging plants? I
thought that this particular rhodie did the damage by cutting out the
light and poisoning the ground beneath them.
--
Susie Thompson, Isle of Arran
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Hi, This is drogrec, actually i don't have any knowledge about this. But i want to know about this.