Browning Arborvitae

[suaf]

This board is great - here are some photos of some Emerald Green Arborvitae I planted in Sept. '05. They started browning probably mid winter. I am in northern IL. When I planted them, I kept them in the burlap bags (potentially a big mistake) but it always seems to be a debate. Plus the root ball would probably have come aprt completely if I took the bag off. Any way, I filled the holes about halfway with water before planting and then let mother nature take over in the fall. Can anyone tell if it appears they have windburn or not enough moisture? I doubt its too much moisture. Also, should the brown parts be cut off as I would guess that they are essentially dead and won't come back...probably better to cut them and let roots feed green parts of plantsrather than wasting on already dead branches? Feedback is much appreciated!

Thanks

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[tree jockey]

Browning bag

were the burlap bags burlap?, or synthetic burlap.did you untie the top when you had the hole half filled? Burlap needs a thorough soaking to penetrate. Were they planted with the top of the rootball exposed, orburied? mulched properly? wiltproofed? if well H2Oed in fall before the ground froze thats good unless planted in a bowl. are they planted in an area that is unprotected? dont prune? shear until new growth starts to see if terminals survived, later rake them with the backside of the rake and the dead scales will probably brush off . good luck

 

[suaf]

I am not sure if the bags were actual burlap or synthetic. They came from Home Depot if that helps. They were planted up to just under the trunk. They were all sprated with wiltproof.

 

[suaf]

also they are generally well protected with a 3ft fence on the north side and other arbs around them that have been established for about 2 years. They were untied before planting.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Those are the smallest pictures ever posted here. Did you take them with your phone?

If you could post bigger pictures, it might help us see the problem. It almost looks like the needles are turning dark green, then brown.

What may be a potential problem is the source of the trees. Those big box stores buy in bulk and sell the stuff at all of their locations. The trees might of come from South Carolina or who knows where.
Say you were laying on the beach down there for about ten years, and somebody plucked you up, as you were, and shipped you to Northern Illinois, how would you handle the winter? Probably about the time the 20 degree below zero wind blew snow over you and your beach towel, you'd be turning brown too. Try googling plant provenance for more on that subject.

Crawl under the tree and poke your finger right into the root ball. Is it dry, wet, or just right? I like to soak new plantings and then wait until they just dry out before watering again. Don't check the soil around the ball, poke right into the ball itself. There can be a huge difference between the two locations, and the roots are in the ball, so that's where it matters.

 

[suaf]

yes - they were taken with my phone - I know not great quality but better than no pics at all. Thanks for the advice. Tomorrow I will check the root ball itself and make sure they have adequate moisture. It is just starting to warm up so hopefully some tlc and spring will lead to new growth and repair.

 

[antigrassguy]

Id say remove the burlap as it will restrict roots. Could even be treated burlap so that it doesnt rot. How tall are they? I have moved 15' arbs almost bare root, very brutal but ya never know till ya try, and 3 years later they look great. You also said that they are up against a fence on north side. Means that in Jan. when sun beat heck out of your snow it also possibly toasted your trees as you had a warm winter after Dec. I would bet on lack of water. Good luck

 

[M.D. Vaden]

I didn't notice when you planted them.

Arbs are harder to do than many other plants if done in the warm season because it's a lot of foliage for a not so big root ball.

You may need to spray with an antidessicant from the local nursery.

Go to my signature or profile, click my website, and when you get there type

watering advice

in the search box. That's one way to find my watering tips. Either that or click advice in the menu, then pick advice page one - the flash button and look for it.

I don't think your arbs are hurting from spider mites or something like that as much as from poor timing or not knowing watering and mulching procedures.

 

[CaseyForrest]

I have never had a problem leaving the burlap on, treated or not it will rot in about 2-4 months with continous contact with soil. As long as you cut it off the top of the ball, away from the trunk you will be fine.

From what I can see from the last picture it looks like wind burn. Are they browning from the tips in towards the center, or from the center out to the tips?

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

It's funny when people pull a dead tree out of a clay lined, water soaked or dry as a bone, hole and say, "Look the burlap didn't rot, that's why the tree died."
If the conditions in the hole are so bad burlap won't rot, the trees problems are obvious!

 

[antigrassguy]

I have seen treated burlap in root ball after its been planted up to 16 months later. Tree wasnt dead but wasnt thriving either. I remove all foriegn material and try to find root crown. Ive been surprised as to how much soil gets tilled up around tree before its harvested. Up to 6" in some cases. I try to set tree free, but thats just me

 

[rebelman]

I was taught that as long as the burlap is completely buried it was fine, no wicking effect. I think leaving it on the bottom part helps keep the root ball undisturbed. That said, there is also a girdling problem with much nursery stock, so I'm adaptable. Not much help I guess, good luck with those Arbs.

 

[suaf]

As far as the browning foliage - I checked, and my best guess is windburn - the floiage is browning more from the outside towards he inner rather than from inside-out. I juts got more Wilt Pruf and will spray this year, but hoping we get some good soaking Spring rains and not the terrible drought of last year...that wouldn't help matters much.

 

[greg carr]

be careful with antidessicant on those arbs. It is phytotoxic and could burn them worse.

 

[suaf]

Is there a chance 'burnt' foliage can come back - or is it better to prune it early in growing season and see what I can save of the trees?

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

For now, leave the browned out areas alone. There is a chance they will sprout new needles on those limbs.
To help prevent winter wind burn, in late fall just before you put away your hose and shut off the water, give the trees a good soaking so they go into winter with a nice wet root area.

 

[Von Halen]

I have a few Arborvitae's around my pool that are browning on the side closest to the pool. They have done this a couple of years in a row, towards the end of the summer. They normally green back up at the beginning of the new summer. While it is early spring right now, it doesn't appear that they are going to green back up this year. One of my nosey neighbor's insists they are "infected" and dying. Could the chlorine from the pool be the cause of the problem? Or are they indeed infected with something. I know absolutely nothing about plants and trees.