9 Reasons Why Your Hedges Are Turning Brown

Trimmed hedges elevate a landscaped yard to another level. They look vibrantly green and draw attention to the surrounding flowers, grass, and trees. However, brown hedges can create the opposite effect. The yard will look dry, old, and rundown. So, what causes this common shrub issue?

Your hedges are turning brown because they’re drying out from extreme heat, windy weather, or not enough water. Excessive amounts of fertilizer and hydration can cause soil burns and root rot, browning the hedges. Trim your hedges regularly to prevent brown, dead limbs from showing.

Throughout this post, we’ll talk about several reasons why your hedges are turning brown, what you can do about it, and more. You’ll also learn preventative steps to keep your hedges and shrubs looking fresh and green all year long.

Dry Weather Makes Hedges Brown

Dry weather and low humidity prevent your hedges from getting enough water. The less humid the air is, the quicker it’ll pull water out of the soil and leaves. Your hedges will lose water quickly, turning the leaves brown and making the twigs brittle.

TO fix drying hedges, you’ll need to water them more often. Set up a sprinkling system around the yard or attach one to a garden hose. For instance, the Melnor Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler attaches to a hose and rotates back and forth. It’s an ideal attachment for those who have a lot of hedges in a tight space.

Extreme Wind and Heat

According to RHS, heavy windy conditions are often enough to take a toll on shrubs and hedge plants. They can wear down the leaves and turn their tips brown. The leaves and twigs slowly die and turn yellow-brown or brown. This is actually a common issue for most woody plants, including trees.

High-heat days also wear down your wooded plants. Dryness and scorching temperatures are the last things your hedges need to stay healthy and green. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do on those days other than water the tops of the plants.

Not Enough Water for the Hedges

Most of the time, your hedges are brown or dry because they don’t have enough water. Various causes lead to the conclusion, but you can solve almost any dry or brown woody plant by providing more hydration. Water your shrubs often. The type of hedge you have decides how often you have to water and fertilize it.

The easiest way to know if your hedges have enough water is to test the soil about two to three inches below the surface. If the soil is damp at this depth, there’s enough water. If it’s dry only a couple of inches below the top, the hedges need more water. Don’t let the soil get too mushy, though.

Pests and Pesticides Dry the Roots

Pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides can dry and kill your hedges. These harsh chemicals are bad for your plant. However, there are a few all-natural solutions you can try, like neem oil and Epsom salts. These ingredients work wonderfully when it comes to repelling pests.

Another pesty issue that causes dry hedges is when there are spider webs on your bushes. Too many webs can block the sunlight going to your plants. It’s important to brush them off or use a garden hose to spray the leftover webs. Spider mites and tunnel spiders cling to hedges because they provide such a convenient hiding place.

Too Much Fertilizer Harms the Bushes

While most fertilizers are beneficial for hedges and other woody plants, too much of them can be detrimental. Many fertilizers are acidic. A little bit of liquid fertilizer goes a long way. If you use too much of it, the soil can get too acidic for the hedges’ roots.

Instead of using fertilizer all of the time, stick to natural fertilizers once per year. Annually fertilizing your hedges is an excellent way to keep them healthy without changing the soil’s pH. Never let the fertilizer mound over the soil; there should be a thin, even layer of it.

Poor Hedge Maintenance Issues

Maintaining the hedges is much easier than most plans. However, that doesn’t mean you can let them go for several months without any care routines. We have a hedge styling guide you can review if you need additional tips. Hedges will always be a great addition to your yard as long as they’re trimmed.

When hedges get too long, the leaves dry and crumble. You’ll notice the surrounding edges of the hedges are bending inward and getting too dry. Some of the leaves might look green but they’ll crack the second they’re folded. Trimming the outside of the shrubs keeps the outer layer fresh and new.

Weeds Absorb the Hedge’s Nutrients

If you have a lot of dandelion, clover, crabgrass, and other weeds around your hedges, they’ll turn brown. Hedges need a designated supply of water and enriched soil to stay healthy. The neighboring weeds will absorb all of the nutrients and water intended for the hedges, grass, and flowers in your yard.

To fix the weeds turning your hedges brown, follow this quick process:

1. Spray the weeds with herbicide, ensuring none of it touches the hedges.
2. Wait for 48 hours to let the herbicide soak into the weeds.
3. Pull the weeds from their roots to prevent them from coming back.
4. Water the soil under the hedges and add compost if possible.

Root Rot and Spongey Soil

Hydrating the soil is great for all plants, but too much water can make the dirt feel spongey. When it’s soaked and mushy, there won’t be enough support for the hedges’ roots. Wet soil causes the grass to flatten, root rot to destroy the roots, and more.

Let the soil dry before adding more water. Root rot is very common in soil that has automatic timers for watering. Manually watering the hedges will let you know if you’ve added too much before it ruins the dirt.

Hedge Diseases Can Dry the Plants

Hedges are prone to plenty of plant diseases. Almost all of these diseases cause the hedges to turn brown.

Here’s a list of some of the most common hedge diseases:

• Powdery mildew
• Bronze foliage
• Box blight