When to prune new portuguese laurel hedge

Basilpatch

Hello, new here and hoping to get some opinions of more experienced gardeners

I planted a new portuguese laurel hedge this week. The plants were purchased as potted and about 1m tall.

They look healthy but are quite leggy as expected. I want to prune them to start making them thicker and more bushy.

My question is, as we are just coming into autumn, would it be best to prune them now, or wait until spring next year?

I was thinking about 6 to 12 inches off of the tops. Does this sound about right or should I do more, and should the sides get done as well?

My thoughts were that if I prune them now they have less foliage to use energy to maintain over winter while they establish their roots systems. However most websites suggest pruning evergreens in the spring, and I don't know if its a good idea to prune them immediately after planting.
Thank you in advance! 

Fairygirl

Yes - take a foot off them 

Plantminded

Hi there, I have several of these plants as specimen shrubs rather than hedging.  They give a good evergreen backdrop in the garden which is much appreciated in winter.  They are quite slow growing.  I'd leave them now until spring next year, allowing the roots to establish.  You could apply a single diluted seaweed feed to the root area to encourage root growth but don't use a nitrogen rich fertiliser until next spring which will encourage foliar growth.  These plants increase their density best by just nipping the soft ends of each branch, may be two or three times a year.  You can give them a more robust pruning, cutting into the wood to get a better shape if you want to, they are quite resilient and will recover without any harm.  One word of warning though, keep them well watered particularly after a more robust pruning to prevent powdery mildew attacking the young emerging leaves.  Hope this helps.  Welcome to the forum!

Lyn

You’re on the right track to getting a good hedge going, as @Fairygirl say, cut a good 12” off the tops,  and pinch out the growing tips of the side shoots, that will give the roots a better chance over winter.
if you're in a dry area give them lots of water until winter. 

@Plantminded. Which ones have you got,  I don’t find them slow growing, they’ll make a good 2 to 3’ a year if left once established.

Fairygirl

Water is all they really need assuming the site has been well prepped.
They grow quickly round here too @Lyn.

Basilpatch

Thanks all for your help, I will give them a trim this weekend. I am in the south east so relatively warm so I am hoping they will grow quickly! Regarding the site prep, I removed all the weeds and the ground was all dug up. I spread compost everywhere in about 2/3 inch thick layer, sprinkled fish/blood/bone fertilizer on top and gave it a really good dig all over to mix it with the original soil. I just finished planting yesterday so am just in the process of finishing off by spreading woodchip mulch everywhere. I wasn't planning on giving them anymore food just water now. 

Lyn

Perfect,   You will need to keep trimming the tops next year to keep a nice thick hedge.
did you unravel the roots a bit when you took them out of the pots? 

Basilpatch

I did try to loosen each one a bit, and most of them didn't look too root bound. I also gave a good water in the pot prior to planting. 

Fairygirl

Doing everything right @Basilpatch. Good luck with them 

Plantminded

Hi @Lyn, I have three Portuguese or Portugal laurel, Prunus lusitanica. They are slow growing here, may be it's the sandy soil, I wish they grew quicker!  RHS guidelines are to prune in late spring or early summer, (Pruning group 8): Prunus lusitanica | Portugal laurel/RHS Gardening. I have found that this timing gives a better response in growth.