Yew Shrub Care Tips For Growing Yews

Excellent soil drainage is key for growing yews. These plants can be susceptible to root rot and other fungal infections often due to soggy soil conditions. Overall the plants are low-maintenance. In general, you can expect to water occasionally, as well as fertilize and prune annually.

What is the best fertilizer for yews?
Can yews be cut back?
Why are my yew bushes dying?
Should you fertilize yews?
How do you rejuvenate a yew hedge?
What can I plant next to yews?
How far back can you trim yews?
Will yews grow back after deer?
Should I remove yew bushes?
Why are my yew bushes turning brown?
What is the white stuff on my yews?

What is the best fertilizer for yews?

Fertilize the shrubs in early spring with ½ cup 10-10-10 fertilizer spread around the base of the plants. Japanese yew grows best with a soil pH between 6.0 and 6.5. In more acidic soils, the leaves may yellow.

Can yews be cut back?

It is safest to start cutting back yews when they are dormant. Late winter is perhaps the ideal time to start pruning a yew shrub. The types of pruning cuts to use depend on the outcome you desire. To make a yew tree bushier and fuller, just clip off the outer growth.

Why are my yew bushes dying?

Yews are notorious for quickly yellowing and dying in wet or water-logged soil. Even a brief period of water-logged soil can result in root rot and plant death. Dieback has been associated with yews growing in very acid soils (pH 4.7-5.4) or very alkaline soils (pH over 7.5).

Should you fertilize yews?

A healthy, mature yew can often do without fertilizing. A younger plant, though, benefits from the extra nutrients found in fertilizer to stimulate vigorous growth. Beginning the second year after planting, fertilize an evergreen yew once a year, before it puts forth new growth in late winter or early spring.

How do you rejuvenate a yew hedge?

Unlike juniper, pine, or spruce, these evergreens sprout well from old, thick wood. Prune them in early spring, apply a balanced fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, and water them through the summer. It may take a few years, but the yews will revive — so vigorously that only annual pruning will hold them in check.

What can I plant next to yews?

Good companion plants for yews include roses (Rosa spp.), irises (Iris spp.), lilacs (Syringa spp.), viburnums (Viburnum spp.), hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.) and plants of Mediterranean origin, such as rosemary (Rosmarinus spp.) and lavender (Lavandula spp.).

How far back can you trim yews?

In this situation, you may as well prune the yew back to a couple of inches below the ideal height at which you would like to maintain the plant. The remaining bare branches should sprout some new growth, providing that the yew was in good health. Even then, some of the branches will die back.

Will yews grow back after deer?

And is there anything we can do to assist the plants, such as pruning or fertilizing? A: Yews and arborvitae are two favorites on the deer winter menu. ... When arborvitae are sheared or stripped back into bare wood, they often don't regrow.

Should I remove yew bushes?

While the root systems of different yews vary, many have deep, widespread roots that become dense and more difficult to cut as the shrub grows. Removing these plants is somewhat more difficult because of the density but is still a manageable job for an afternoon -- especially with the help of a friend.

Why are my yew bushes turning brown?

Soil problems - If Yews are planted in boggy areas or subjected to very wet winters and springs their needles will turn brown. This indicates that the soil is too wet for these plants and the root system is starting to die back.

What is the white stuff on my yews?

Powdery mildews are often observed in late summer and early fall as a white or gray powdery growth on the top surface of leaves, stems, flowers, and fruit. Even a brief period of water-logged soil can result in root rot and plant death. Best Fertilizer For Japanese Yew Pnmwg Fertilizers.