HELP.... Laurel hedge pain!

  • 8 Replies
  • 810 Views
*

MaryBarber

  • Newbie
  • *
  • 6
HELP.... Laurel hedge pain!
« on: September 03, 2024, 09:17 »
Hi

I am in a property that has a back garden that is approx 34 ft long and 11ft wide on one side of a 2 ft wide path and 34 ft long and 13 ft wide on the other side of the path. The entire area is surrounded by cherry laurel bushes and one portion has privet also. This year, most of the laurel has gone mad and shot up to 10-11 feet high. I wanted to turn it over to growing veg and started by planting artichokes next to one part of the hedge. Alas, I now discover that both laurel and privet are poisonous! :ohmy:

I simply cannot afford to have the hedges removed and even if I could, there is no way heavy machinery would be able to enter the garden through what is only a small gate; plus it is rented so I can't do structural alterations. So I am wondering if this thwarts my plans to use the garden for growing veg???

Does anybody know how far the roots might extend from hedges of this height? Also, am I best to forget eating the artichokes or using them as roots for a new crop somewhere safer next year? Is it safe to grow veg in this soil?

Any thoughts would be really very appreciated as I can't seem to find any answers on the internet and I am rather disheartened by this discovery as I so wanted to start growing my own veg but all looks lost now.

Many thanks,

Mary
« Last Edit: September 03, 2024, 09:46 by MaryBarber »

*

Richard Yates

  • New Member
  • *
  • Location: Milton Keynes area
  • 37
Re: HELP.... Laurel hedge pain!
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2024, 15:50 »
I'd guess that reducing the hedge height would be a very good start, and as for veg., you're not actually going to eat the laurel, just plant growing near it. Leave a bit of uncultivated "path" around the outside of the plot, perhaps.

Are you sure your landlord is OK with doing such things?

*

MaryBarber

  • Newbie
  • *
  • 6
Re: HELP.... Laurel hedge pain!
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2024, 09:09 »
Hi

Many thanks for your reply Richard. Yes, the landlord is OK about veg growing as it's not a business and I checked first. Also, I am responsible for maintaining the hedges etc.

I am rather concerned that given the height they have shot to this year, the roots may have spread equally fast and so in that area, perhaps made the whole area uncultivatable??? Last year, the hedge only gained about a foot, this year, it's literally gained 3-4 feet in some portions very fast!

Do the roots put cyanide into the ground around them or is it just a consequence of any leaf decomposition?

Thankyou and best wishes,

Mary

*

AndyRVTR

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Jarrow 'oop North'
  • 2517
Re: HELP.... Laurel hedge pain!
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2024, 17:32 »
Maybe consider making some raised beds, that way you won't be disturbing any roots from the laurel!
« Last Edit: September 04, 2024, 21:04 by AndyRVTR »

*

MaryBarber

  • Newbie
  • *
  • 6
Re: HELP.... Laurel hedge pain!
« Reply #4 on: September 06, 2024, 09:04 »
That's an idea Andy, just not sure about the cost of filling them as I am on a very tight shoestring budget. Are veg roots likely to reach down to by the laurel roots?

Thanks,

Mary

*

Richard Yates

  • New Member
  • *
  • Location: Milton Keynes area
  • 37
Re: HELP.... Laurel hedge pain!
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2024, 22:10 »
I am rather concerned that given the height they have shot to this year, the roots may have spread equally fast and so in that area, perhaps made the whole area uncultivatable??? Last year, the hedge only gained about a foot, this year, it's literally gained 3-4 feet in some portions very fast!

Do the roots put cyanide into the ground around them or is it just a consequence of any leaf decomposition?
I can't think that you might habve a problem growing veg. near laurels. Were it to be, we'd know - also if veg. was poisonous after being grown near hemlock, death cap mushrooms, ivy, etc.

*

MaryBarber

  • Newbie
  • *
  • 6
Re: HELP.... Laurel hedge pain!
« Reply #6 on: September 11, 2024, 09:36 »
Ah, so have you grown veg near laurels Richard, or have I misunderstood? Obviously if you have, you are doing fine, LOL! :D

In any case, good points about the mushrooms etc.

Mary

*

Richard Yates

  • New Member
  • *
  • Location: Milton Keynes area
  • 37
Re: HELP.... Laurel hedge pain!
« Reply #7 on: September 11, 2024, 13:04 »
Ah, so have you grown veg near laurels Richard, or have I misunderstood? Obviously if you have, you are doing fine, LOL! :D

In any case, good points about the mushrooms etc.

No, I have not, but there are laurels on the allotment field, and they're pretty common, so I think if they give problems, it would be well-known by now. I had a look online; various references to wearing gloves when pruning (although again I have not heard of gardeners dropping like flies when pruning plaurel), e.g. Gardeners World says:

"It's important to wear gloves and protective clothing when pruning cherry laurel, as the leaves and branches contain toxic compounds that can cause skin irritation or even respiratory issues. Avoid burning cherry laurel trimmings, as the smoke can be toxic. Instead, dispose of the trimmings in a safe and responsible manner, such as through composting or green waste collection"

So they say compost it! That implies it gets dug in (when composted)

Another interesting find was:

https://ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=723724

English laurel in vegetable garden #723724

Asked September 14, 2020, 11:55 AM EDT

We recently found that English laurel is poisonous.. we cut down some english laurels to ground level and laid landscaping fabric over the top of the stumps and made a raised vegetable garden bed around them and planted cucumbers and sweet peas around them in hopes that they would not grow back. The laurels grew back right through the landscaping fabric and the vegetables. My question is: if the laurel root system inter twines with the vegetable root systems or due to their proximity to the laurels can they poison the vegetables or make them poisonous or harmful to eat. Kinda like planting carrots to close to radishes can make carrots a little spicy.

Snohomish County Washington

Expert Response

Most organic compounds are degraded or strongly bound to organic matter in soil, making it unavailable to plants. Even heavy metals, which plants sometimes take up because plants WILL take up metals, don't usually get taken up by the plants for those reasons. Just because toxic plant roots are nearby, it doesn't mean that the vegetable plants will take in any possible toxins. Plants are programmed to do what they do, and stuff in the soil that can't be used by that plant won't be taken in by the roots or used by the plant. Let's use the tomato plant as an example of how close the toxic and non-toxic plant parts can be. Tomato plants are genetically programmed to have toxic leaves, but on the same plant--on the same branch--we get non-toxic and nutritious tomato fruit.  The veggies growing in under your English Laurel should be fine.  Incidentally--carrots really don't pick up the "spice" from nearby radishes  :-)
Alice Slusher Replied September 17, 2020, 7:50 PM EDT

There are also plants like rhubarb; the leaf is somewhat poisonous, the stems aren't! Potato seeds look like tomatoes, and are poisonous, the tubers are not (examples of parts of plants that have poisonous/non poisonous parts, and ne'r the twain, etc).

*

MaryBarber

  • Newbie
  • *
  • 6
Re: HELP.... Laurel hedge pain!
« Reply #8 on: September 13, 2024, 09:05 »
Richard thankyou very much for this wonderful response. The expert response is particularly helpful with the detailed explanation and as you say, if laurels were a problem, then it would probably have been known about by folk on the allotment field. Like you, I had found loads about pruning and the toxicity from the various compounds so need to wear gloves etc. But I had not found any other good explanations and even an expert horticulturist I emailed advised it would be best to not eat my artichokes since so little is known and to consider moving the hedges!

Good points about the rhubarb, tomatoes and spuds. Maybe we have all been subjected to scare mongering over the laurel, LOL! :ohmy:

Best Wishes,

Mary


xx
Portuguese Laurel Hedge

Started by Thrutchington on General Gardening

2 Replies
782 Views
Last post July 19, 2020, 17:45
by Thrutchington
xx
Laurel

Started by Mr B on General Gardening

3 Replies
3015 Views
Last post March 31, 2009, 16:11
by RichardA
clip
Sick Bay Laurel

Started by Beano on General Gardening

3 Replies
1266 Views
Last post February 21, 2019, 17:14
by Beano
xx
Compost bin/laurel

Started by Mum2mj on General Gardening

2 Replies
1995 Views
Last post June 05, 2015, 13:56
by Mum2mj
 

Page created in 0.217 seconds with 46 queries.

Powered by SMFPacks Social Login Mod
Powered by SMFPacks SEO Pro Mod |