Does Cherry Laurel Have Invasive Roots?

The Cherry Laurel plant can be a beautiful and practical garden addition. This plant is usually used as an ornamental hedge plant. Do you wonder whether its roots are invasive? We've researched this topic and have found the best response to this question.

Cherry Laurel is considered invasive as it crowds out and supplants valuable vegetation that has naturally flourished. It may also reach your home's utility pipes and wires. Therefore, checking where you plant your Cherry Laurel is essential.

Cherry Laurel can grow in various soil types and are incredibly hardy. This post will discuss Cherry Laurel, its root system, and how to take care of them. So, keep reading to learn everything about Cherry Laurel.

Does Cherry Laurel Have Invasive Roots

Does Cherry Laurel Have Invasive Roots

Does Cherry Laurel Have Invasive Roots

Cherry Laurel

cherry laurel flower trees in garden

The family of Lauraceae, which includes laurel plants, contains more than 45 genera and 1,000 species. Cherry Laurels, also known as Prunus Laurocerasus, are about 40 different cultivars offering many options for many uses, including hedges, screens, ground covers, and decorative plants. 

The Cherry Laurel is a lovely evergreen with tiny, fragrant white flowers. It has a quick growth rate and has a salt- and pollution-tolerant shrub that attracts butterflies and birds.

Because Cherry Laurels are evergreen, they have a strong endurance for harsh environmental conditions and can outcompete other native plants. Cherry Laurel can also thrive in the forest, generating shade for other native plants. 

Cherry Laurel can withstand pollution and poor alkaline soils. However, this plant has issues with pests, viruses, and fungus-related diseases. It is susceptible to powdery mildew, root rot, and shothole disease.

The spring is when this plant blooms. It spreads twice as high as it is wide and has a thick habit. Even in deep darkness, it is free-flowering and nauseatingly scented. 

Click here to see these Cherry Laurel seeds on Amazon.

The Root System Of Cherry Laurel

Earth full of roots small and big of a natural plant

The roots are woody and covered in fine hairs that help them gather water and collect nutrients. The plant regenerates from the roots when it is cut. 

Maintaining Cherry Laurel hedges means controlling their growth and holding their shape. The roots of a Laurel hedge entwine and strengthen the border far more than a single plant could.

Cherry Laurels are highly invasive, which is unfavorable. Cherry Laurel invades forests and other natural environments where it grows densely and can smother local vegetation.

The type of soil where a Laurel is located and the amount of water that is accessible determine the size and length of its true roots. Wherever there is the least resistance, roots in hard soils will spread out, creating a broader, more fibrous root system.

When mature, the roots of the typical shrub extend at least two feet underground. The main utility wires and pipes, which are typically 3 to 4 feet deep, can be reached by the roots.

Because of this, it's crucial to check the positions of the utilities before planting laurel and to maintain a safe 10-foot space between laurel bushes and drain pipes.

How To Take Care Of Cherry Laurel

Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), common laurel and sometimes English laurel in North America, is an evergreen species

If you want to increase the amount of vegetation in your indoor and outdoor garden, choose Cherry Laurels. Laurels are frequently used as borders and hedges because they are effortless to grow and spread. 

These are the factors you should consider when taking care of your Cherry Laurel:

1. Soil

Due to its extreme adaptability, the plant may thrive in rich loam, sandy loam, clay, or hardpan. It mainly prefers acidic, moist soil that drains well. 

It grows best in rich fertile soil. The plant can quickly grow downward and develop longer roots in softer soils. 

2. Water

Water your cherry laurel to keep the soil moist but not drenched. The plant will suffer significantly if the bottom is too wet, with the leaves turning yellow and the stalks dying. 

They will thrive from a moist, well-drained, and nutrient-rich soil mixture. However, they can endure brief droughts. For this plant to survive, there must be good drainage.

You shouldn't worry too much about watering these adaptable plants when they are planted outside because they typically get adequate moisture from rainfalls.

3. Sunlight 

Mirror maze. Walls of the labyrinth are decorated with bushes of evergreen cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus). Public landscape city park Galitsky. Place for family recreation and sports.

Both sunny and shady areas are suitable for growing these plants. It can withstand various lighting situations, including full sun, half sun, and even full shade.

However, in cooler climates, these shrubs will grow better with greater sun exposure. In warmer temperatures, it will grow better with more shade.

4. Fertilizer

These fertilizers will provide all the nutrients required, which will keep the leaves lush and the blossoms incredibly fragrant.

You can feed your Cherry Laurel with an organic fertilizer once a year to enhance their general health. They don't require a lot of fertilizer because they can burn the roots or cause widespread damage.

It will endure salt spray and can grow quite quickly, up to 30 cm per year, under the right circumstances. You are advised to fertilize these shrubs per all label directions and product instructions. 

5. Temperature

Although Cherry Laurel plants may flourish in virtually any area, frost is not suitable for them. The majority of species are tolerant to temperatures between 15 and 20 °C.

Is Cherry Laurel Poisonous?

Modern landscaping with a cherry laural hedge

Varieties of cherry laurel are thought to be highly toxic and have the potential to be fatal. Cherry Laurel contains the poison hydrogen cyanide acid in its seeds, twigs, and leaves, which is why it gives off a pleasant almond scent when its leaves are crushed.

Thus, Cherry Laurel should never be consumed. 

Hydrogen cyanide can reduce the neurological system's oxygen supply and, in extreme circumstances, even result in death if consumed in massive doses. Cherry Laurel is toxic to animals, as well as humans.

The plant's toxins can prevent your dog's body's cells from reverting to their pre-exposure state, which can impair healthy nerve and skeletal function.

Should I Prune Cherry Laurel?

You can prune them to keep them in the size and form you like because they tend to grow somewhat haphazardly. When a laurel bush is cut down, it prevents subsequent planting and sprouting if the roots are not removed.

Pruning will let your plant's structure become stronger as a result. You can clip the leaves and shape the plant to make it appear more likable.

Dip the cutting into a prepared solution of water and rooting hormone. Cut the last 5 to 6 inches of a branch with a sharp knife to propagate a cherry laurel bush. 

Click here to see this Garden Safe rooting hormone on Amazon.

The best time to trim Laurel is late spring or early summer. As soon as the spring heat starts, the new development will swiftly begin to spread—no need to worry if you can't prune the hedge until later in the summer.

How Tall Are Cherry Laurels?

Cherry Laurels are a thick, widely-spreading shrub that can grow very large, up to 40 feet tall, and 25 feet wide. 

In early spring, Cherry Laurel plants begin to produce flower buds, blossoming in early summer. Some varieties can have willow-like leaves that are 2 inches long and narrow, while others can grow magnolia-like leaves that are 12 inches long and 4 inches wide.

It is not challenging to manage this plant even at medium height. Cherry Laurels are simple to give it a tree-like shape by gradually removing the lower branches as the shrub becomes taller. 

Cherry-laurel can be regularly pruned to form a dense screen or hedge, but it is equally appealing when left to develop naturally into its upright-oval, thick form.

Can Cherry Laurels Survive In Winter?

Wintertime, the first frost of the year, green leaves of Prunus laurocerasus with ice crystals at the edges. Cherry laurel

They are ideal for a residential landscape since they remain green throughout the winter. However, Cherry Laurels face some winter burn which makes them lose their leaves and appear highly frail. 

In Closing

Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), common laurel and sometimes English laurel in North America, is an evergreen species - Does Cherry Laurel Have Invasive Roots

Cherry laurel shrubs will develop fast if you plant them in a great area in your garden where they receive the right amount of warmth and light, and you can soon trim and shape them whatever you like. 

These shrubs are low-maintenance plants that you can integrate into your indoor or outdoor garden. Feel free to add Cherry Laurel to your garden when you want its vigorous expansion and distinctive appearance as long as you maintain this shrub. 

Before you go, we have these other exciting posts that you may like to visit:

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