Help needed for evergreen trees.?
Question:We have large evergreen trees in front of our house. Some branches are turning brown and dying, not sure what nutrients are needed.
Answers:
If this is not a natural condition for that species, I'd be looking for some insect problem. You may want to call Extension Service agent in your county or hire a CERTIFIED arborist for a diagnosis. Certified are trained and uphold a code of ethics, so less chance of getting a jerk. Look for NAA or ISA listing in their phone book ad.
well george i see lisa never got a proper answer and you have come on to show her how to do it. i hope you get the answer cause one of my conifers is the same,the new (leaves) are growing fine but the inner is like dead.
I don't know what type of evergreens you have, but here in the Pacific northwest it's normal for certain evergreens to lose lower branches as they grow. Fir & pine do this, ceder doesn't.
If it's at the top of the tree, and lots of branches involved, it's bad and could be the sign of a dying tree.
Evergreens like their soil acidic, test your soil and get the needed minerals from your local garden center.
Fluffernut's on the right track.
Also, consider the possibility that the tree simply hasn't gotten enough water. You don't need to do anything special to water a tree. An inch of rain (or water from a sprinkler) every week should be adequate to keep it happy.
If you water your lawn well, that should be enough for the trees also.
Has it been very dry in your area for a year or two? Is your lawn brown? Was it dry last year? Often a tree will get through a year or two of dry weather before it shows signs of stress.
If is perfectly normal for trees to shed older branches. Not knowing what type of evergreen trees we are discussing makes this a little difficult, but here goes :~).
Human life is a perfect analogy of trees. As the older ones die, the next generation takes their place - working and providing food (nutrients) -while the young are maturing to take their place.
As a general rule the soil under conifers or other evergreens tends to be acid from the fallen needles/leaves.
If you desire to fertilize the trees, it is best done early in the year before the new growth starts. It is a little late in the year to fert now. The new growth may continue late in the year and not have time to mature and 'harden' off before cold weather sets in. When and if you do fertilize be certain to spread the fert evenly over the entire root zone. It is better to do a couple of light applications - one just before the new growth begins, another just after - 4 to 6 weeks after the first application.
Look at the trunk of the trees and one or two of the shed branches just to make certain you don't see any obvious insect problems or disease. (Blobs of puffy purple or white 'popcorn' are a problem. Call a licensed pesticide applicator.)
One last thing...if you have used a weed and feed type product under the trees, they may have picked up some of the weed killer.
Now, providing you haven't used W&F and there are no obvious signs of insect/disease...then you have perfectly normal trees...and you can stop fretting.
Hope this helps. :)
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