Dead twigs and branches will be brown and crispy at some point - wait and see what the hedge does on its own. Even if the tops are mostly shot maybe its going to come back from the roots. Since you have stated involved expense is a concern definitely do not remove without being sure it is entirely dead first. And don't replace with the same kind of plant because the same kind of cold may come again.

Hi Embothrium,

Thanks for the information. Do you suggest them to be pruned and remove all dead twigs at the top. They are 8 to 9 feet tall. I can prune them by 3 feet and bring them to fence height. Not sire if pruning is going to put more stress on it.

Thanks

Again the key aspect is whether or not the branches are definitely dead at this point. This is determined by examination of them there on your site.

If you bend a twig does it snap or bend?

Hi

Top ones and small ones are snapping. Some of them are at lower height, are bending. Thanks for the information.

This question is going to be coming up a lot in the next few months. Is it dead yet?

sure is ...

here in my MI .. we have killing frosts or freezes.. just about every year ... its just not all that rare ... how deep the cold determines which plants get damaged ...

EVERY plant... will SHOW YOU ... if you give it enough time ...

the plants need time to trigger dormant buds... and start growing ... and when you can SEE the new buds.. you know precisely how far back you need to prune..

imo .. there is no need to be proactive and try to guess .. just let the plant do its thing ,...

and no.. fert is not going to speed it up ...

they will be re-budding on stored energy ... in the roots ... and trust me.. those huge plants have giant root systems ... so if they do re-sprout ... you might be surprised how fast they can regrow ... but understand .. ma nature provides no instant gratification ... it will take at least a year or two ..

so how long has it been.. a couple weeks?? ... give them at least another month ... and see what happens ... and then get back to us with pix.. and we can take it from there ...

ken

Hi Ken,

Thanks for the detailed information. I am going to monitor them and post updates here. Thanks again.

Hi floral_uk,

I will wait and monitor the progress.

Thanks

Hi,

Plants started growing from bottom. But it is still dry most of top section. Branches are too big to trim. Thinking about trimming small dear Branches and leave the big ones. Hopefully they can grow around them. What do you guys recommemd?

Remove all the dead wood including the bigger trunks to the ground, down to where the new growth is sprouting. If you can't DIY, pay to have it done.

If they are dead, good opportunity to plant natives!

What tools do I need to use to cut. Small ones I am going to hack it with electric trimmer. I used a saw to cut other one. But it took so long to cut dead wood.

Well, if it was me doing it, I'd use a good pruning saw and cut the big trunks off intact with all the branches attached. I like quiet. I'd toss them whole over the fence. I see a road. Then load it up and haul it away to the appropriate destination. Some cities have green waste curbside pickup. After the big freeze in Texas that is going to be a city and state problem. Can your government do that?

I am going to buy pruning saw and start cutting them. are these dead branches stop plant from growing? What are the native plants to replace these. They provided pretty high and thick hedge. Would like to let them grow of there won't be any issues with growth. Spouse wants to grow some fruit plants. But these have pretty big base to hack it out.

Thanks

agree on tree saw .. something like this:

https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/folding-saws

as low to the ground as you can ...

once all cut down ... it will all look so much better.. you will be happier ... i hope ...

i bet by end of next year.. it might be back to the top of the fence ... due to the huge root mass mentioned way above ... and your long if not year round growing season in TX ...

the cutting will be the easy part .... the harder part will be getting rid of all the dead brush ... as i doubt you can burn them easily ...

one trick.. is to do one bush every weekend.. until you are done.. the first will be a nightmare.. the second twice as easy ... and by the time you are done.. you will start walking the neighborhood asking peeps if they need any limbs removed ... lol ...

i have saws like that .. once you learn.. you can cut thru a 1.5 inch branch.. in about 4 swipes... if it easy to get to .. these wont be.. but they are sharp tools ... and the right tool for this job ...

ken

I cannot imagine NOT owning a good pair of loppers. This one makes cutting even 2 inch thick limbs, a piece of cake.

https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-32-Inch-PowerGear2-Lopper/dp/B00QMWETPM?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1

Hi

I used craftsman bow saw and cut the branches as close to the bottom as possible. It took lot of time. City picked up all the branches. We got lucky with that. Otherwise it would have been lot of money to hire some one to dispose.

You are good to go until the next killer freeze. Train your new privet to hedge and resume regular shearing as needed.

boy i love it when i hit is on the nose.. lol ... the key was... for me.. realizing its all just so normal up here in bad winter country ... though it was shocking to you peeps down there ...

but what happened to the fence???

super on the city taking it for you.. looks like they had the right tools ... i presume thats them in the pic with the truck and claw ...

in essence.. the tall parts shielded.. and sacrificed for the lower parts . so they could survive ... up here we call that mulching for winter protection.. lol ...

ken