Hi all,

We have a property in which we've planted almost 100 bare root privet hedges around the perimeter. They are Ligustrum Sinense. They came approx 4-5 feet high and the roots were well intact and protected during shipment. They were kept in water prior to planting to ensure they didn't dry out.

It's been about 2 months and only a few of the privets have sprouted. The 4 that have sprouted are very close to each other (Within 10 feet or so). I've posted a pic of one of the plants that sprouted.

I did the scratch test on some of the dormant plants, and all of them are still alive & well (bright green) under the bark, but don't seem to be moving out of dormancy. The site gets both adequate water & sun, and has moderate temps of 60-75 degrees consistently.

I've fertilized once, lightly, using 16-4-8 fertilizer. I don't want to use too much and over-do it; but it would appear I need to give it another round of fertilizer? Does that sound right?

Also for watering, every 24-48 hours I give them a good splash - to keep the soil moist. Do I need to boost up the watering up to twice per day? Or back off a little?

One last potential issue. Some of the hedges (not all) have some grass/growth in the immediate area. Is this causing a "competition" issue for resources? Interestingly, the 4 hedges that are sprouting are all surrounded by a lot of grass growth - So i'm not sure how important this is. If it's a potential issue, I can clean up under the remainder of the hedges.

Any help is appreciated & THANKS in advance!