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Box hedge fertiliser

Updated: October 2026

The box looks thin, last year’s caterpillars left holes, and a tablet pack on amazon.co.uk reads like a fix. Box hedge fertiliser is nutrition, not a cure. Fertile ground-grown Buxus often needs no feed at all. Pot-grown box can take a liquid in summer. After blight you want a balanced feed, not a high-nitrogen push. This page stays on Buxus. The [hedge fertiliser comparison](/hub/fertiliser-soil-and-bark-mulch/hedge-fertiliser) only shows the Buxus row among a wider set. If you buy through a link on this page, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The box looks thin, last year’s caterpillars left holes, and a tablet pack on amazon.co.uk reads like a fix. Box hedge fertiliser is nutrition, not a cure. Fertile ground-grown Buxus often needs no feed at all.

Our top picks

TOPBUXUS TOPBUXUS Health-Mix, 10 tablets

Best overall

TOPBUXUS TOPBUXUS Health-Mix, 10 tablets
9.2/10about £24.95
View offer
Westland Westland Growmore, 8 kg

Preis-Tipp

Westland Westland Growmore, 8 kg
9.0/10about £16.95
View offer
UKGROW UKGROW Hedge Boost, 5 L

Alternative

UKGROW UKGROW Hedge Boost, 5 L
7.8/10about £22.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Most ground-grown box does not need a feed
  2. 2.After blight, keep nitrogen in check
  3. 3.The tablet is foliar nutrition
  4. 4.What the tablet does not do

Most ground-grown box does not need a feed

The Royal Horticultural Society says box in fertile ground does not need fertiliser. If the plants are green and you already mulch, a calendar feed is the mistake. Bare patches after caterpillars are usually a pest or blight problem first. Pot-grown box is the exception: a general-purpose organic liquid in summer, at the packet rate. Vitax Q4 and blood, fish and bone appear in that RHS note and are not in this comparison. A 10-metre ground hedge can skip the feed. The same plant in a 40 cm trough may need the summer liquid. Do not empty an 8 kg Growmore tub around a trough. Hedge Boost names boxwood and is still a soil drench, not a foliar tablet. Form and buying order sit on the hedge fertiliser buying guide.

After blight, keep nitrogen in check

After blight, the RHS wants a balanced feed or a higher-potassium mix, and warns against excess nitrogen. Sulphate of ammonia and chicken pellets are the examples, because soft growth favours the disease. Growmore is 7-7-7 on the Westland brand page, and the listing does not name box. A feed does not sterilise fallen leaves, and a caterpillar spray does not green a hungry pot. Defra’s June 2024 factsheet says box tree caterpillar is present in a limited distribution, the host is Buxus, and new finds need not be reported. That is not a fertiliser claim. Do not double a tablet dose to help the hedge catch up. Call a professional for a long box hedge that needs spraying or replacement.
TOPBUXUS TOPBUXUS Health-Mix, 10 tablets

Testsieger

TOPBUXUS TOPBUXUS Health-Mix, 10 tablets
9.2/10about £24.95
View offer

The tablet is foliar nutrition

The only box product in this comparison is TOPBUXUS Health-Mix, 10 tablets, made in the Netherlands, at about £24.95. The star line is 4.6 from 78 reviews. The product data says dissolve one tablet in 1 litre, wait 10 minutes, and spray the foliage, with one tablet for 10 square metres. The mixing field is 1:10. That is foliar nutrition, not a blight cure. The maker site adds a second dose after one week, then about every six weeks. Amazon directions also say monthly from mid-March to mid-November. This page does not pick one calendar beyond 1 tablet, 1 litre, 10 square metres. Ten tablets are 100 square metres if you use them one by one. Measure both faces and the top. A pick among the eight listings is on best hedge fertiliser.

What the tablet does not do

The bullets say the mix can go on with BT products in one application. That is compatibility, not a claim that the tablet kills caterpillars. In the Amazon reviews, one United Kingdom review returned the pack because it is a fertiliser. Hedge Boost remains a soil drench that prints boxwood. It is not this tablet. General timing sits on how to apply hedge fertiliser.

Common questions

Does a box hedge in ordinary soil need fertiliser?
Usually not. The RHS says ground-grown box in fertile soil needs no feed. Mulch after a trim if you want to help the soil surface. Buy a feed only if the plants are in a pot, the ground is poor, or you are following blight-recovery advice for a balanced, not high-nitrogen, application.
What should I feed box in a pot?
A general-purpose organic liquid in summer, at the rate on that packet. The RHS also mentions a spring compost top-dress and a little slow-release. Those named products are not in this comparison. TOPBUXUS is a foliar tablet for Buxus, not the pot-soil liquid in that guide. Do not empty a hedge granule tub into a trough.
Can I use Growmore on box after blight?
Only with care, and not as a high-nitrogen push. The RHS wants a balanced feed and warns against excess nitrogen after blight. Westland’s brand page prints Growmore as 7-7-7, but the listing does not name box. If the soil is poor, a light balanced dressing is the idea. A heavy handful to force green growth is the mistake.
Does TOPBUXUS Health-Mix kill caterpillars or cure blight?
No. The listing is foliar nutrition for Buxus. It says you can mix it with a BT product. It does not say the tablets kill caterpillars or cure blight. One United Kingdom review returned the pack for that reason. Keep pest control and blight hygiene as separate jobs.
How do I mix the tablet, and how much hedge does one tablet cover?
Dissolve one tablet in 1 litre of water, wait 10 minutes, and spray the foliage. The product data states 10 square metres per tablet. Spray into the centre and avoid wet weather if you follow the maker’s extra notes. Measure both faces and the top. Do not invent a stronger mix because the hedge looks thin.
Can I spray it with a BT caterpillar product in one go?
The listing says the tablet mix can be combined with BT products in one application. That is compatibility, not a two-in-one cure. Follow the BT product’s own label for the pest. Do not treat the fertiliser half as the killer half.
When should I call a professional instead of buying tablets?
When a long box hedge needs spraying or replacement, when dieback runs in lengths, or when you cannot tell blight from caterpillar damage. Tablets will not rebuild dead stems. A professional looks at the plant, the pest, and whether the run is worth keeping. The tablet remains a foliar feed for living Buxus, nothing more.

Related pages

Fertiliser for a new hedge

Hedge fertiliser

Best hedge fertiliser for the hedge you are feeding

Hedge fertiliser buying guide: job, species and rate

How to apply hedge fertiliser: season, place and rate

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 eight amazon.co.uk listings in the stored product files. A mixing-ratio field is not an NPK. The 7-7-7 line is the Westland brand page. TOPBUXUS is foliar nutrition, not a caterpillar killer. LERAVA's 310 figure is the listing star line, not 310 UK written reviews.

  1. RHS, Fertilisers: types and uses (retrieved October 2026)
  2. RHS, How to trim a hedge (retrieved October 2026)
  3. RHS, How to grow box (retrieved October 2026)
  4. RHS, Managing box blight (retrieved October 2026)
  5. RHS, Planting trees and shrubs (retrieved October 2026)
  6. Defra, box tree caterpillar factsheet (June 2024) (retrieved October 2026)
  7. Agriculture Act 1970, section 68 (retrieved October 2026)
  8. Westland Growmore (retrieved October 2026)