Surely for those who love gardening, having a privet fence around the house is the best thing. But plants’ characteristic properties make them face many inconveniences, no matter how sturdy.
So what are common privet hedge problems, and are they serious?
Let’s explore this topic with us in the article below.
What Are Privet Hedge Problems?
Evergreen trees like privet have the advantage of strong vitality and are easy to grow.
After all, its biological characteristics also bring many issues, such as frequent pruning, seasonal changes in shape, or invasive disease. Here are the details:
Frequent Pruning
The speed of development too fast also brings many troubles. Just being distracted for a while, young shoots will grow, but in different directions.
This destroys the shape you worked so hard to create, making it look more bushy, luxuriant, and unsightly.
Uncontrollably elongated leafy branches will also invade other garden spaces, affecting other trees in the garden. This ugly image can also cause neighbors or passersby to judge the homeowner.
So you must prune them regularly to keep them in good shape and promote healthy growth.
It would help if you tried to take the time to prune your tree once a month or at least 3-4 times a year during the changing seasons for best results.
Lackluster Appearance In Winter
Among the problems with privet hedges, this is something that you need to think carefully about before deciding what to plant for a fence.
Less cold winters may be easier to breathe in places with year-round cool, but it is different for locations with severe winters.
Varieties of privet have different physiological properties and, of course, different cold tolerance. Some types are very cold-tolerant and almost unchanged in winter.
Meanwhile, some varieties have to face the situation of leaves changing color, fading, or twig blight.
The branches became shriveled as if dead. However, most of them are not destroyed but are just adjusting to adapt to harsh weather (except for some species that are too weak).
With good care, the shoots will grow when spring comes.
So why is this problem quite serious? Because dead leaves cause the fence to become “naked”, and it will be difficult for your space to keep privacy from the prying eyes of someone.
Attracts Insects And Pests
A green and vibrant fence is both a decoration for the house and an effective anti-cheat solution. But it’s still a plant anyway, so it’s hard to avoid attracting birds, insects, and pests.
The privates are an attractive target for bees, especially during their flowering season. So to be safe from these nectar-loving friends, plant them as far away from the house as possible.
Bird visits can also be a threat to the garden. Their cries and droppings can annoy you.
The most troublesome here is the disease-causing species because they are the main cause of the diseases of privet.
What Are Common Pests And Diseases Of Privets Trees?
Gray Mold
In winter, low temperatures and high humidity are ideal conditions for fungal diseases to arise and make plants susceptible to some diseases, such as gray mold.
It develops quite quickly, so if it is not prevented in time, it will have the risk of developing on a large scale.
Symptoms of the disease are gray spots on flowers, stems, and leaves. The branches will lose strength, and severely affected leaves and shoots will die.
Stem diseases often arise from unclean cuts when you cut purple plants.
The treatment should begin with good hygiene. Prune and destroy infected plants. Disinfect pruning tools with a solution of household bleach.
Black Fungus
Black fungus is a disease caused by fungi. This is a disease that directly and strongly affects the growth and development of plants. If not detected in time, the tree will die.
Fungal spores, when in contact with wet surfaces containing rotting organic matter such as leaves or decaying wood, will begin to germinate and produce mycelium.
It develops into black spots on the leaves, causing the leaves to turn yellow and fall off.
Anthracnose
Among the privet diseases, anthracnose is the name that scares growers the most. This is a common disease that occurs in many crops.
It usually damages many parts of the plant, such as leaves, young shoots, branches, and flowers.
It appears at the end of the monsoon period and directly affects the growth of crops. On leaves, the disease forms brown, dry, slightly rounded spots.
When the diseases grow, they will link to burn a patch of leaves, causing poor growth and leafless plants.
Root Rot
The disease occurs when strains of microorganisms, viruses, fungi, and decaying bacteria attack the plant. The root cause is too high humidity.
It damages the roots and disrupts the transport of nutrients to the organs. The leaves turn pale yellow, and the leaf blade turns orange-yellow and falls off easily.
The rapid spread makes root rot disease can kill the whole tree if not treated promptly.
Cercospora
Cercospora is a disease that causes leaves to appear in different colored spots. They are small initially but will gradually grow and spread throughout a wide range.
The disease reduces the synthesis of chlorophyll and affects the balanced growth of plants.
Air pollution, insects, or bacteria can cause it, but most often, it is due to a fungal infection. The disease usually appears in late spring or autumn.
White Mealybug
White mealybug is a vigorous and resistant aphid. They often live parasitically on plant parts and suck the sap to live.
This causes the plant to lose nutrients, even when it quickly spreads to the roots, causing it to die.
Spider Mites
Another enemy of the golden privet hedge is spider mites. They are spiders that are only 1/50 inches the size of an inch.
They are extremely professional sap suckers. And as a result, the leaves become shriveled and turn brown and black.
To prevent this infestation, you can use insecticides or raise some natural enemies like ladybugs, squash bugs.
What Is Privet Hedge Lifespan?
This type of tree has the advantage of being strong, easy to care for, and can be pruned as desired, so they have a rather long life compared to other hedge plants.
On average, privet plants can live from 20 to 40 years.
They can adapt to most environments, but regular pruning is required to avoid invasion. The best time to prune is in late winter, just before spring arrives.
Conclusion
The privet hedge problems that we just mentioned above are a common situation of many families.
Nature features and pests are difficult to avoid but don’t worry too much because you can limit the severity by developing a reasonable care regimen.
