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Fertiliser for a new laurel hedge

Updated: October 2026

You are planting cherry laurel or Portuguese laurel this season, and the temptation is to tip a bag into the trench so the hedge gets a start. Fertiliser for a new laurel hedge is usually the wrong first move. Water, planting depth, and root contact if you use a mycorrhizal product matter more than a pile of feed against new roots. Prices of the four feeds we compared stay on [Cherry laurel fertiliser](/hub/fertiliser-soil-and-bark-mulch/cherry-laurel-fertiliser). None of them is a planting-hole Rootgrow. The Products Compared editorial team read the listings on 19 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are planting cherry laurel or Portuguese laurel this season, and the temptation is to tip a bag into the trench so the hedge gets a start. Fertiliser for a new laurel hedge is usually the wrong first move.

Our top picks

Substral Substral Thuja-Vital 500 ml

Best overall

Substral Substral Thuja-Vital 500 ml
5.0/10about £22.80
View offer
Empathy Empathy After Plant evergreen granules 1 kg

Preis-Tipp

Empathy Empathy After Plant evergreen granules 1 kg
8.2/10about £7.99
View offer
Empathy Empathy After Plant evergreen liquid 1 litre

Rank 3

Empathy Empathy After Plant evergreen liquid 1 litre
8.5/10about £9.46
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Water and depth before any bag
  2. 2.Mycorrhizae are not a fertiliser
  3. 3.Bone meal and Rootgrow do not tell the same story
  4. 4.What in this comparison is for later

Water and depth before any bag

A new hedge fails more often from dry soil and a loose plant than from a missing fertiliser. The Royal Horticultural Society says fertiliser at planting is not beneficial. A concentrated dose on new roots is the mistake, including a controlled-release mix stirred into the hole. Set the plants at the depth they grew in the pot, firm the soil, and water so the moisture reaches the roots. Autumn or winter planting should settle. The first feed, if growth is weak, waits until spring, and you still do not feed after September. How that later feed is spread is on how to feed a cherry laurel hedge.

Mycorrhizae are not a fertiliser

A mycorrhizal inoculant is a one-off at planting, in contact with the roots. It is not a surface scatter and not a spring fertiliser. The RHS says it may help on poor soils, and that you should not apply fertiliser at the same time, because phosphorus can suppress the fungus. Rootgrow is the product nurseries name for that contact. It is not in this comparison. The Empathy 1 kg pouch is a bio fertiliser. Buckingham Nurseries say After Plant is not a Rootgrow substitute. Amazon reviews that mention a handful in a hole are not a planting rate.
Substral Substral Thuja-Vital 500 ml

Testsieger

Substral Substral Thuja-Vital 500 ml
5.0/10about £22.80
View offer

Bone meal and Rootgrow do not tell the same story

Hopes Grove says about 1 kg of bone meal per 15 metres of single-row hedge, mixed through the soil so it misses the roots, plus Rootgrow on the roots. Bone meal is a phosphorus source. The RHS says phosphorus can suppress the fungus you have just applied. The two instructions do not agree. If you use bone meal, keep it off the roots. If you use a mycorrhizal inoculant, skip fertiliser at planting, including bone meal. This comparison sells neither, so it will not score them.

What in this comparison is for later

The feed that belongs after planting, not in the hole, is the Empathy 1 kg pouch. According to the manufacturer, the follow-on is about 25–50 g per plant, or about 50 g per square metre under a larger canopy, watered in. That is a light top dressing, not a trench filler. The listing field of one capful in 4.5 litres does not match granules. Use the pouch if it says sprinkle. The 1 litre liquid is a diluted follow-on. According to the manufacturer, new plants take 20 ml in 4.5 litres. The listing's 1:4.5 field is a stronger mix, so the bottle label wins if it disagrees. Goulding and Substral are not planting products. Feed in spring only if the new hedge is weak once water and drainage are right.

Common questions

Do I put fertiliser in the trench when I plant cherry laurel?
No, if you follow the Royal Horticultural Society. Fertiliser at planting is not beneficial, and phosphorus can suppress mycorrhizal fungi if you are using them. Water and planting depth come first. A concentrated dose against new roots is the mistake, even when another guide suggests mixing feed into the hole.
Is Rootgrow a fertiliser?
No. It is a mycorrhizal inoculant put on the roots once at planting. It is not a surface scatter and not a spring feed. This comparison does not include a Rootgrow listing, so it cannot give you that pack's rate per metre of hedge.
Can I use the Empathy 1 kg pouch instead of Rootgrow?
No. The maker and Buckingham Nurseries say After Plant evergreen is a follow-on, not a substitute for Rootgrow in the planting hole. The pouch is a bio fertiliser for later, at about 25–50 g around a plant in the ground. The listing does not print a planting-hole rate.
What about bone meal and Rootgrow together?
Hopes Grove pairs about 1 kg of bone meal per 15 metres, mixed through the soil so it misses the roots, with Rootgrow on the roots. The RHS says not to fertilise at the same time as a mycorrhizal inoculant, because phosphorus can suppress the fungus. The two sources disagree. Do not treat them as one method.
When is the first real feed after an autumn planting?
Let the plants settle. The first feed, if growth is weak, is when growth starts in spring, on moist soil, and not after September. A new hedge that is already growing does not need that feed. Granules stay off the stems, and liquids stay at a dilution you can read on the pack.
How much water matters more than the bag?
Water decides establishment. A dry spell after planting will yellow a laurel faster than a missed fertiliser. Soak the root zone, then mulch damp soil and keep the mulch off the stems. Feeding a droughted or waterlogged new hedge is the step to skip.
Which of the four listings is even a planting product?
None. The Empathy pouch and the Empathy liquid are follow-on feeds. Goulding is a rose, tree and shrub granule. Substral is a thuja-titled liquid whose bullets also name cherry laurel. Buy them later, if the hedge is weak, not as a substitute for root contact on planting day.

Related pages

Cherry laurel fertiliser buying guide

Cherry laurel yellow leaves

Best cherry laurel fertiliser

Cherry laurel fertiliser

How to feed a cherry laurel hedge: season and dose

Sources

Public UK and maker sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the four amazon.co.uk listings captured on 19 October 2026. The RHS did not rank these listings. A Germany-marked review is not UK opinion. Empathy's gram rates are the maker's statement, not a line on the amazon granule listing.

  1. RHS, How to grow shrubs (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. RHS, How to feed plants (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. RHS, Laurel leaf diseases (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. RHS, Nutrient deficiencies (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Hedging Plants Direct, laurel hedge feed (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK, Manufacturing and marketing fertilisers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Veterinary Poisons Information Service, cherry laurel (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Empathy After Plant Evergreen 1 kg (retrieved 19 October 2026)