Japanese Yew Drooping – HELP
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Anyone know why my Japanese Yews are dropping. They were planted in early 2022, and have grown very well and are getting tall. They seem to be unable to support their own weight though.
They get watered from drip irrigation 3 times a week, and I put Osmocote down about 2 months ago. Other than that, I’m not doing anything else to them. I really want them to grow into a hedge, but they are dropping pretty bad.
We live in eastern North Carolina for reference. Thanks in advance!
They sure look like they’ve grown very fast!
It seems to me like they’re getting top-heavy because of growing fast and because they’re protected from wind. No wind = no incentive for them to grow stronger trunks. Some blogs would recommend shaking the stems often, like several times a day, to trigger thocker stems, but i find that a hassle.
At this stage i’d do 2 things:
– stake them to tie them upright
– prune them ! Since you’re going for a hedge, you’ll want the shrubs to be dense and lush. Every cut you make will lead to two or three branching outs. And it also gives stems time to harden so they won’t droop over. You can prune like this anytime.
Nature & Garden moderator.
Message me if you have any questions, I’ll be glad to help out!
“Winter reveals the strength inside… of those who dare go out!”
How much sun do they get a day? I kind of suspect they’re reaching for the sun.
Nate, thanks for the input. Two questions…
Regarding the staking, I am not familiar with how to stake a bush like this. I have staked trees and other plants with a single “stalk” for lack of a better term, but never anything with numerous tall stalks/shoots. Any insight or examples of that?
For the pruning. I have pruned the sides of the Yews, but I have read in other places that you should not trim the height from the main shoots until they get to your overall desired height. Otherwise, they may never reach that height again.. Any truth to that in your experience?
Thanks again for your input!
Hi Jason, great to hear from you again. I do have to tell you one thing: i’ve only ever seen Japanese yew myself once, on am arboretum garden, it was splendid and planted as a standalone surrounded by other conifers. I think it had golden streaks in its leaves, it was nice. So i can’t say my experience comes from growing exactly the same thing as yourself…
But the photos you shared show a lot of detail. They’re good, by the way, nice and sharp and all 😁📸
For instance, several of the shrubs have multiple strong stems. This means the leader stem has already been cut and pruned before, perhaps even by the nursery. And if the new stems that branched out shoot so straight up to the sky, then pruning again should yield the same result. Also, on the branches that are drooping over, you can already tell that growth on the topside is extending upwards whereas those growing downwards are shorter. So in the case of your Japanese yew I wouldn’t worry about the shrubs not reaching your target height, even if they have 2 or 3 feet more to go. They seem hell-bent on getting taller which is why you had to post in the first place 😜
It’s true that some sites recommend not cutting the leader until target height, but i think this mostly applies to common yew.
For staking multiple stems, this just means adjusting case-to-case. A single stem near the center and then tether the different stems to that is more common, but for some you would use two or three stakes, one per leader. I like bamboo stakes, they fit into the landscaping well, but tomato stakes are also elegant ans ysually more affordable.
Nature & Garden moderator.
Message me if you have any questions, I’ll be glad to help out!
“Winter reveals the strength inside… of those who dare go out!”
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