We planted these Junipers last year (Buffalo ny) and I’m just curious how long we have until we get some actual privacy from our neighbor? I know Junipers aren’t the fastest growing. Is there anything I can do to encourage growth?
by KPIGUY89
We planted these Junipers last year (Buffalo ny) and I’m just curious how long we have until we get some actual privacy from our neighbor? I know Junipers aren’t the fastest growing. Is there anything I can do to encourage growth?
by KPIGUY89
34 Comments
We had similar ones thy doubled in size in like 5 years ? So maybe 20 for you
https://preview.redd.it/a7klabnkicxg1.jpeg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=93eb44c68d175edf59cad17e0c59a8b474d38c02
🚀 Easy 2m Privacy Hedge
Use Skyrocket, Taylor, or Spartan 🌿 — all grow tall and dense.
Plant in full sun, about 1m apart. Water deeply twice a week and fertilize in spring/summer 💧
Trim the sides only so they thicken up. Don’t cut the top if you want height.
⏳ Usually takes about 3–4 years for a solid 2m screen. 💡 Bigger starter plants = faster privacy.
You are looking at three to five years before those junipers even begin to bridge the gap and another few years before they block out those second story windows next door. Junipers spend their first couple of seasons building a root system rather than shooting up towards the sky. The best thing you can do for growth right now is water them deeply but infrequently to force those roots down into the soil and make sure they have a good thick layer of wood mulch over the root zone. Keep the mulch pulled back slightly from the trunk so you do not rot the root flare. Do not dump a ton of nitrogen fertilizer on them because fast forced growth is weak growth and a heavy Buffalo snow will snap those new branches right in half.
Right now you have them lined up like little green soldiers on patrol which is a massive structural risk. If just one of those trees dies you are going to have a glaring missing tooth in your privacy wall. A good landscape needs sweeping connected masses rather than a scattered polka dot line. Pull that bed edge out another few feet into the lawn and stagger some fast growing native shrubs or tall ornamental grasses in front of the gaps. That creates a dense flowing texture that gives you immediate lower privacy and visual calm while you wait for the junipers to do the heavy lifting up high.
Mind blowing out people pay good money for nice houses to live 5 feet away from each other. Crazy.
r/CheapLandscapingIsNotAGoodPrivacyFence
What you really need is 65 cypress trees
HoA prevent solid fence?
Leylands grow super fast. Had a full privacy hedge within 2-3 years.
Hit them with 10-10-10 fertilizer per instructions on bag (about 1 cup per plant) in the spring and again maybe in August and keep watered…water when the soil becomes dry just below the surface, or buy a moister meter off Amazon. They will grow as fast as possible using this method.
Tree fiddy
They are way too close to the fence.
At least your neighbors aren’t elevated and looking down on you. You’ll have all of those houses blocked out.
5 years
Speaking from experience, you have way too many planted way too close. Unless you don’t care (or don’t plan to be there), you will have density and probably health problems in the long run.
Edit: I realize this wasn’t the answer you were asking about. I just thought you deserved a cautionary response before you get too far along. Getting 10-20yrs in and facing a slew of bad decision options for thinning/trying to fix this, um, sucks in a big way. Replacement will probably become a daunting, expensive reality
You’re looking at 8 years or so and 1/3 of them will probably die.
Why are you asking this now….
Privacy? Your neighbors are so far away.
Plant a tree (like japanese maple or dogwood) that is already good sized, to get privacy a littl faster. Fertilize the junipers with Osmocote or similar slow-release in spring and mid-summer. You can also hit them with Miracle gro or similar liquid feed a couple times. Make sure they have good irrigation (a drip irrigation line would work well) on a regular basis (twice a week unless it is pretty hot, then up to every day).
After 7 years a third will die leving large gaps that will make you hate your choice
You would be surprised what morning glory will cover on a fence in 2 months
Longer term, wisteria, trumpet vine or ivy
https://preview.redd.it/uxb7cca5scxg1.jpeg?width=1100&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f777caf904d9956ef0d3520789c96e42cb555d6
Please plant some real trees too, the developers that built your neighborhood has stunted the ecosystem by a half century.
Literally any oak, birch, maple, poplar, walnut, cherry, even a beech would be better than the sterile sod they put in.
Hoa are whatever they are.. privacy walls erected well within your property is likely a possible play (no permanent footings, two inch gap between boards etc..).
So long as you dont impede on their vision of the next neighbour.
Read on up.
Oh, single file.. 10 years down the road.. one every 5 will turn orange, asphyxiated by the roots. Thin them out now.
feed them and they will grow 3x as fast
I bought a house with existing junipers and admittedly it was one of the factors that contributed to my decision to bid (it was the only house in the townhome row with a line of privacy junipers). I asked and they told me these were planted probably 7-8 years ago for them to grow this tall. It will take time but you are certainly putting stock in future desirability should you ever sell.
Shoulda gone with aspens. They’d be bigger and less risky imo. Sure they won’t provide privacy in the winter but you won’t be out there a ton in the winter anyways.
That’s also a huge backyard for a relatively new construction. Must be nice.
Buffalo NY is not Seattle, give it 8 to 10 years and keep watering
If you take care of those trees, you will have a very private backyard when your sell your home.
Look at those GWH’s!!!
Cut em all out and put 56 cypress trees instead
10-10-10 in early spring. Don’t overdo.
What variety of juniper is this? I added a bunch to my lawn and keep seeing new varieties online- but they all vary in width; my worry if if they are spaced too close if they are 8-10 foot width trees, spartan or blue moon junipers maybe?
Soon
Fertilize the hell out of them. They’ll be up there in a few years
They won’t deliver the type of privacy you’re looking for. They’ll never be full enough to block out the neighbors entirely. Partial privacy in about 10 years.
this plus this… It will speed up your privacy goals as well as look better.
[SparkyMallard15](/user/SparkyMallard15/)
•[42m ago](/r/landscaping/comments/1svdeh7/comment/oi7msbt/)•Edited 38m ago
Please plant some real trees too, the developers that built your neighborhood has stunted the ecosystem by a half century.
Literally any oak, birch, maple, poplar, walnut, cherry, even a beech would be better than the sterile sod they put in.