Why are the needles on my tree turning brown?

Question

The tree is clearly dying. Yes, the soil is poor but it has enough water. Words on the tree tag when we bought it are: Emerald Green Arborvitae, and Thuja occidentalis 'Emerald'. Any ideas?

Answer 1

perhaps its beatle kill.......are there many other dead trees around?

if there have been alot of dead trees, not only is it killing the,m as they go, but the needles make the soil more acidic. Its too late for this one if it is beatle kill....It may not be...... were do you live?

Answer 2

Could be a planting problem, the roots haven't taken hold and the plant can't take up water and nutrients well enough.  

Could be a cultivation problem.........I'm not sure about "poor soil but it has enough water".  Over watering is as bad as underwatering.  Heavy soils exclude oxygen from the soil, the same as keeping the soil too wet.  

Could be insect problems........spider mites, adelgids, any number of things.  

Contact your Cooperative Extension Service and see if they have a Master Gardener program where someone can come look at the tree and give you a better idea.

Answer 3

It is difficult to diagnose with this little information. If it is a newly planted tree, did you break up the root ball before planting? If not, the roots tend to just keep growing in a circle and can eventually die. Always add a few inches of mulch or good potting soil to the soil that is put back around the tree, but don't pile it up next to the truck.

second, the disease could be a fungus called Phomopsis tip blight, caused by the fungus Phomopsis juniperovora, which damages new growth and succulent branch tips of junipers from mid-April through September. Older, mature foliage is resistant to infection and therefore most blighting occurs on the terminal 4 to 6 inches of the branches. Affected foliage first

turns dull red or brown and finally ash-gray.

Small gray lesions often girdle branch tips and

cause blighting of foliage beyond the diseased

tissue. Small, black, spore-containing fungal

fruit bodies develop in the lesions. Spores of the Phomopsis fungus are produced

throughout the summer and infection can occur whenever young foliage is available and

moisture or humidity are high.

Symptoms of Kabatina tip blight, caused

by the fungus Kabatina juniperi, appear in

February and March and well before those of

Phomopsis tip blight. The terminal 2 to 6

inches of diseased branches throughout the

juniper first turn dull green, then red or

yellow. Small ash gray to silver lesions dotted

with small black fruit bodies of the fungus are

visible at the base of the discolored tissue. The

brown, desiccated foliage eventually drops from

the tree in late May or June. Foliar blighting

occurs only in early spring; it does not continue

through the summer. Blighting is also

restricted to the branch tips and does not

cause extensive branch dieback or tree death.

The primary infection period for the

Kabatina fungus is thought to be in autumn

even though visible symptoms are not apparent

until late winter or early spring. Infection

often is associated with small wounds on

branch tips caused by insect feeding or

mechanical damage.

Several practices can help reduce the

severity of Phomopsis and Kabatina tip

blights. When purchasing new plants, select

those that show disease resistance (see table).

Space new plantings to allow for good air

circulation. Avoid wounding plants, especially

in spring and fall. Maintain adequate fertility

but do not over fertilize. Water plants in early

morning so the foliage will dry as the day

progresses. Avoid night watering. Prune out

diseased branch tips during dry summer

weather and destroy them. However, avoid

excessive pruning or shearing. This encourages

new succulent growth which is susceptible

to Phomopsis blight.

AND "DO NOT USE MIRACID" unless you know the ph of your soil. Too much acid in the soil "will" kill the tree. Miracle grow is a safer bet.

If you have a horticulture extension serve in your area, take a sample in. It is free, and you can get a more accurate diagnosis.

Answer 4

It is possible that it is just not a health specimen. This type of plant would thrive best in a well drained, partly loamy soil with slight acidic pH.  Tips:  Dont overwater the plant. Buy some "Miracid" plant food.  Sold next to "miracle grow" in all shops that carry it. This may help the plant, but if it lives positive results may not be seen for many weeks.

Always remove the burlap covering on rootball if present.  Dont plant too deep. The leaves should not touch the ground.

Hope this helps.