Yew Hedging Feeding Guide

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If you have Yew hedging or a plant in a container, you might be wondering if you need to feed your plants. There is often confusion about the difference between plant food and fertiliser which we will go on to explain later. 

Essentially Yew plants, if planted correctly and cared for well don’t need extra fertilising but in some circumstances, they might, so it is useful to know what that entails and when to do it as well.

Feed vs Fertiliser

Yew Hedge feed

Feed and fertiliser are terms used interchangeably and can be confusing. When it comes to applying something to your plants to add nutrients to the soil this can be called either feed or fertiliser. There’s a difference though!

Plant food is made by plants from air, water sunlight and nutrients in the soil. This is naturally occurring.

Yew Hedge fertiliser

Fertiliser is usually synthetic but can be natural and made at home with plant material from your garden. Fertiliser is generally available in liquid, granular or pellet format. This is what you add to the soil to supply nutrients when needed and may be labelled as plant feed or fertiliser.

How to Feed a Yew Hedge

Mostly Yew hedging doesn’t need feeding which makes caring for it a lot easier. But if you are reinvigorating an old hedge or trimming back a lot to get it back in shape, applying mulch around the base such as well-rotted manure will help to replenish the soil and feed the hedging. Just lightly fork it into the top of the soil. The same applies to Yew growing in containers – simply apply a liquid feed into the container compost or mulch the top of the pot.

If you do use a liquid fertiliser then a balanced feed is best, we recommend one with plenty of Magnesium to keep that evergreen foliage a rich green colour, for example, a seaweed-based fertiliser.

What to Feed a Yew Hedge

Minerals and components.

With numerous different feeds available it can be confusing to know which to use. 

When feeding plants it’s about the right balance of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen promotes leafy growth, phosphorus supports root growth and fruiting, and potassium supports plant hardiness and resistance to diseases. Many feeds are a mix of each but some with more than others. Generally mulching with any well-rotted organic matter will give a good balance of each. Applying some Growmore can also help plants establish, which is an equal balance of all three plant nutrients. 

You can also apply some seaweed liquid feed diluted in a watering can every two weeks from April to August which will also help hedging in the ground or in containers. This will supply a good balance of all nutrients as well. Seaweed has been used for many years as a plant mulch and works well. 

Homemade compost if balanced well with brown and green material is another good way of improving the soil structure and health of your hedging plants. There are many benefits to home composting which if done correctly will feed the hedge with much more than just the three main nutrients needed. 

Well rotted horse manure is another good option. This can help to retain moisture, and replenish the soil and is usually high in nitrogen. 

Fish blood and bone meal is another well-used plant feed. This has a mix of nitrogen for strong growth and green foliage, phosphate for root growth and potash for ripening fruits. It is usually organic and mixes well in the soil. Homemade nettle feed can be used and is high in nitrogen and therefore must be diluted with water and applied earlier in the growing season.

Best Fertiliser for Yew Hedging

We recommend using Growmore because it is tried and tested plus we use it ourselves in the nursery. Apply this annually in the spring.

Empathy Rootgrow mycorrhizal fungi are also useful to use when first planting out a hedge. Rootgrow is a well-known brand and provides a naturally occurring native fungi which forms a symbiotic relationship with your new hedging plants almost immediately allowing them to develop the large secondary root system necessary for successful growth and establishment without delay.