Damaged Hemlock Question

[smithfieldrifles]

Hey everyone, I hope I found the right forum for this. Last summer I planted some young hemlocks to fill in my landscape and have a privacy hedge. I thought the deer wouldnt browse hemlocks but one week in late february a herd hung around and really did some damage. I know the branches they bit clean off will probably not come back but Im hoping the central leader will green up and continue to grow. It always had this limp but it seems they shaved everything clean off the tip. What are the chances of this hemlock continuing to grow taller? Will it develop a new central leader? Im attempting to attach a hosted image

 

[Jason Douglas]

Just snip it back to live growth.

Hemlock is deer candy so invest in some Deer Stopper next autumn. It smells minty unlike Liquid Fence which smells like putrid death.

 

[smithfieldrifles]

Just snip it back to live growth.

Hemlock is deer candy so invest in some Deer Stopper next autumn. It smells minty unlike Liquid Fence which smells like putrid death.

Thanks! I was always under the impression that if you cut the central leader, it stops upward growth and becomes a hedge

 

[Jason Douglas]

You'll just need to focus on training a new leader and removing or subordinating any competition