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My hedges have only been in the ground for a year and they are starting to thin, why is that, is something wrong?

- My Hibiscus leaves are turning yellow. Is this normal?
- Whats the best way to water a palm tree?
- When is a palm tree in trouble ?
- First Steps For Any Landscape Project
- I have weeds in my new landscape, should I get a WEED FABRIC ?
- When is a palm tree in trouble ?
- New Installation of Penta Flowers
- Will ants & big ant mounds kill my new plants
- Some Landscape Projects Have Different Needs
- WEEDS Are Growing in the rocks & landscape after installation?
- My leaves are fading on some of my new plants, what is causing this?
- My little tree isn’t looking too good, what can I do ?
- My New Grass has some brown patches?
- My hedges have only been in the ground for a year and they are starting to thin
Now, this question wasn’t asked to us, but it is something we see more often than we would like when re-visiting a property when called to trim or mulch or perform a clean up after the landscape has been installed for even 9 months to a year or so after we installed the landscape.
Those who call us for the first time a couple of years after installation and haven’t really fertilized their yard as recommended, 2 to 3 times a year for the first few years and haven’t trimmed as needed, we will often see taller thinner hedges from neglect if they haven’t been trimmed. A goal is to design a low maintenance landscape which we define as requiring a trim of the landscape bushes and hedges 3 to 4 times a year or less. Some items in a design a client may wish for may be higher maintenance items and we make a point to let our customers know what to expect.
Once a hedge begins to thin at the bottom, even a younger one that has been in the ground for a year or two, it is harder to get that hedge to thicken up at the bottom. Sometimes a harder trim back is required, cutting more than just the tops off of the thinned out hedge, but even for example cutting a 5’ tall, very thin young hedge or plant, such as a Hibiscus down to 3 to 3’ ½’ feet. Possibly 4’ height. It depends on the situation.
It is only usually in properties we see that have been neglected where the bushes, as young as one to years old start thinning out at the bottom. They haven’t been trimmed in a long time, maybe only a couple of times in a couple of years, if that for some.
The trimming helps to keep the growth more compact. It is actually healthier for the plant or hedge to trim. Different plants may require different trim styles of course as leaf patterns, large tropical leaves may need pruning at a stalk of the leaf while others with more leaves can be trimmed regularly across and consistent on the top and sides to be shaped.
Main point we hope people take away from this short commentary is that keep your bushes or hedges trimmed, as mentioned at least twice a year, sometimes 3 to 4 depending on the plant variety in the first years if you don’t want them to get leggy on the bottom.
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FAQ's On New Lawns, Landscapes & HOA Requirements

An Introduction to your Landscape
The following instructions are those we have used for over 20 years to help people establish healthy landscapes from the time of installation, and guiding through a strong landscape maturity. These instructions cover the details of how to water and fertilize from the time of installation - guiding through the stages of your landscapes maturity. Different professionals may use different fertilizer types and different methods - but the framework of how much and when to water and fertilize is general knowledge - and the foundational guide should remain generally the same - no matter the slight difference in details. More…
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