Planting privet

jonathan D

Hi 
I have ordered 3x 6ft rootballed privet lagustrum ovafolium and have pretty rubbish soil in a fairly new build property.
I know privet aren't too picky about soil but I would like to give them a good start.

What should i use to incorporate in the soil?
I can't get well rotted manure..or leaf mould (I live in London)... so what would be the next best thing?    
Just a bag of compost from B&Q?
Thanks for any help

Fairygirl

It's always beneficial to create and prep a proper border before planting anything @jonathan D  
If you have  B&Q, you'll be able to get rotted manure in bags there, however - plenty of good compost will suffice.
6 foot ones are a waste of money, so if you can change that to ones half the height, they'll not only establish more easily, but will be cheaper. Big ones will tend to be leggier, so you'll need to cut them back to encourage bushiness. 
Once planted and well watered in, it's also a good idea to add a mulch - bark or more compost - to keep the moisture in and weeds down. If you're in a drier area, that will ensure the plants get off to a good start. 

jonathan D

Fairygirl said:

It's always beneficial to create and prep a proper border before planting anything @jonathan D  
If you have  B&Q, you'll be able to get rotted manure in bags there, however - plenty of good compost will suffice.
6 foot ones are a waste of money, so if you can change that to ones half the height, they'll not only establish more easily, but will be cheaper. Big ones will tend to be leggier, so you'll need to cut them back to encourage bushiness. 
Once planted and well watered in, it's also a good idea to add a mulch - bark or more compost - to keep the moisture in and weeds down. If you're in a drier area, that will ensure the plants get off to a good start. 

Thanks for response. If they are leggy does that mean I should cut the top off them in summer? I don't think I can change the order now.  Will they not be bushy at all in the near future?
Thanks

Lyn

Cutting the tops of won’t be any good, if you want them for a hedge, you will need to cut them down by half at least.  After they’ve been planted you need to keep pinching out the top grown, then they’ll thicken up from the bottom.

 Next  time if you buy more, buy 3’ ones and cut them down to 2’ on planting.
on the positive side, they root very easy so you can cut all the top bits down to 6” lengths , put them in a pot of compost and have lots of new ones next year. 

jonathan D

Lyn said:

Cutting the tops of won’t be any good, if you want them for a hedge, you will need to cut them down by half at least.  After they’ve been planted you need to keep pinching out the top grown, then they’ll thicken up from the bottom.

 Next  time if you buy more, buy 3’ ones and cut them down to 2’ on planting.
on the positive side, they root very easy so you can cut all the top bits down to 6” lengths , put them in a pot of compost and have lots of new ones next year. 

Ok. When do I need to cut the top off by 3ft?
And also I am after a 6 ft high hedge.
If I chop down to 3 ft will it grow back up to 6ft but bushy

By the way I bought them from here because they looked a little bushy

https://www.hedgesonline.com/hedging/root-balled-hedging/root-balled-privet-hedging/privet-6-7ft-180-210cm-root-balled/

Thanks for advise I am hopeless at gardening

Lyn

They look good, cut them down when you plant them, that will not only promote root growth, but help with wind rock until they are established.
they will grown to 6’ and be bushy from the base. 
Make sure you take the sacking off the root and spread the roots out,  you probably would have but I’ve know people that haven't.
you'll have lots of cuttings there so pot some up if you want more.