skip to main content

Green Thuja with no growth but yellow and brown

13 years ago

Here are some pictures I took today.

These are the thujas I planted last October, they don't look like they grow at all, instead there are more browning inside of the trees since April. Although, the seem to have new greens coming out from some branches as well.

Again, should I be worried? I've been watering them when the weather is hot. Just to keep them moist.

Thanks for your help!

This is our new floating garden!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
looking pretty good to me ..

get some good pruning shears..

all the brown is dead .... just trace back to the live stem and snip out.. just damage from transportation and planting ...

the yellowish color and red tips is NORMAL ...

remove all the grass like the other post where i went on and on about how to do it ... do i need to find that old post for you???

are they growing.. ABSOLUTELY ... take any good branch.. trace down .. from the green stem.. to where last years is brown.. to where it changes to another type of brown.. and you will then be able to differentiate 3 years growth ..

perhaps your expectations are a bit high.. those are big plants.. which you just planted 7 months ago .. they may appear to look like nothing is happening.. for a year or two after transplant.. then.. once the roots are fully established.. they will really get going ... a couple feet per year ... they grow from the minute the soil thawed until the soil freezes.. so just dont worry about it ...

now.. get rid of the grass... before some weedwhacking nut does more damage than good

and water.. WHEN THEY NEED WATER ....

nice floating garden ....

good luck

ken
coolshemp
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks Ken!

Last month or so we been doing lots of mulch around the trees and creating the floating garden1, there's floating garden 2 still in progess... :-).
I read your post on how to get rid of the grass, we will be working on it next, and I'll need to print out your instructions and follow it step by step.
Will keep you updated!

Cindy
Related Discussions
Brown Thujas with one sprig of new green growth
Q
Comments (3)
Chances are the nearly dead ones dried out sooner than the ones that are still green. If they are baking they should develop a dull appearance before going brown. Diligent watering and shading of the soil with mulch are what needed to be done to prevent this. If you planted completely undisturbed root-balls and/or used amended/replaced planting hole backfill that is liable to have made them more prone to drying out. Dig around in the soil to see what is going on. Discovering that the original soil balls are dried out, even if the surrounding soil is still comparatively moist is a typical situation, when planting intact potting soil/field soil rootballs and/or amending/replacing planting hole backfill. Even during comparatively moist conditions, let alone during droughty ones.
...See More
turn brown and yellow on the top my thuja green giant trees
Q
Comments (2)
you don't know severe winter in zone 7 GA .... in the last two weeks up here in MI ... its been single digits with wind chills from -5 to -25 below ... now that is severe ... lol i was out yesterday and i saw no damage on any of the 50 or so GG's i have ... which leads me to believe that the severity of winter is not your problem ... soooo .. what to do ... i suggest nothing until they start to grow this spring ...GG's go through some color change.. and without pix its hard to tell if that is the issue or whether you have other problems .... so lets just be patient for a bit ... but lets be realistic... when you buy one or two plants.. you can take care of them.. and baby them... and get them going.. but when you are working on a scale of 26 plants .. in all reality you shouldn't expect a 100% success rate ... you may lose one or two ... and don't worry about that.. you can replace them .. but these are pretty aggressive plants.. and even if you have some die back .. they will rebound strongly once they get going .... this year.. you are responsible for all water.. they should be watered PROPERLY .... which means a good soaking.. and then let them dry out before watering again ... this involves your finger in the soil ... there is no way for me to tell you more than that ... in my pure sand.. i might water every other week or so ... once per week in the hottest part of summer ... you should also insure that all grass and weeds are removed in a 2 foot circle to reduce competition ... and a good layer of mulch should be put around each ... if watering is problematic... a little moat around each before you put down the mulch will allow you to put a few gallons of water there which will then soak in over time .... now.. if you have that famous GA clay .. i just don't know what that will do to my recommendations.. and hopefully someone with clay experience will correct me if any of the above needs adjusting .... often .. with potted stock ... you should see how the hired help whips these things around... grabbing the top of the tree and just whipping the pots around.. being evergreen .. the damage isn't seen for a year or two ... i wouldn't be surprised if someone grabbed yours and threw it to the next guy who them put it on a pallet.. etc.. you get the picture.. a little brown is not really a big deal in the 50 year life span of your babes.. so try to relax about it .. if it were all 26 plants.. then i would suspect you messed up somehow.. but if its one or two.. or a few plants ... blame some one else.. lol ... let us know what happens in April or may ... just take the hand pruners and snip out the brown once you are sure it will not green back up ... and the plants will be fine.. good luck ken
...See More
Thuja Green Giant turning yellow and brown..what to do?
Q
Comments (14)
Thanks Dave... Yep, the guy who sold them to me when I bought them said "I think they're getting too much water, they need to get in the ground" So I bought them and took them home and put them in the ground. Then today he looked at the clippings and said "you haven't watered them since Saturday, you need to water them every other day and babysit them" Total contradiction.....It's apparent he has no clue, he's setting up a "blame the buyer" excuse to not honor the warranty. It fries my bacon....and yes, he seemed like an idiot. I'd rather trust you guys here who have dealt with Thuja Green Giants before. Is it possible that at my elevation (about 6500 ft.) that they could have plenty of water, but are being killed by the sun due to higher sun exposure rates due to altitude? Are they sensitive to that? (as in it's easier for a person go get a sunburn at high altitude) By the way, this particular nursery was the only one of 5 in my general area that even carried the Green Giants. Maybe that should tell me something.
...See More
Thuja Green Giant - Is this growth or shrinkage?
Q
Comments (7)
Those are forming cones in the first photo. Photo two has normal non-cone simple growth. One tip has browned. That's as normal as things go. Dax
...See More
gardener365
13 years ago
Excellent, excellent. Nice bed you put in the middle; and trees not only screen, but add character.

You're doing great!

Dax
coolshemp
Original Author
13 years ago
To Ken~

I went to check on the trees yesterday, some seems to have more red branches than the others, what could be the cause??
Thanks!

Cindy
gardener365
13 years ago
The same thing happened to me Cindy. I haven't even pruned mine because eventually the foliage falls off or a bird knocks it off or, the new growth encapsulates it. This is all normal for these plants. Just get your pruners and cut em off, however, check to see that there isn't any green sprouting occurring along those reddened shoots....

Dax
coolshemp
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks Dax!

After observing it for a couple days, I noticed that the red branches usually turn brown. hopefully more green sprouting will come out from all other branches.

Cindy
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
did you ever do this:

are they growing.. ABSOLUTELY ... take any good branch.. trace down .. from the green stem.. to where last years is brown.. to where it changes to another type of brown.. and you will then be able to differentiate 3 years growth ..

====>>>

if you compare the new growth to the browning parts.. would you agree .. that they are net positive .... that they are growing vigorously????

and if they are growing vigorously ... taking into account they are not fully established.. and very recent transplants .. then you have to relax about the damage ...

we are coming into the hot part of summer ... they will need to be PROPERLY watered ... deeply ... but nearly allowed to dry in between ...

if you get to fall.. with just a little superficial damage control ... dont worry about the rest ...

now.. please.. go out there.. and tell me how much.. on average this years growth is.. ....i can see it on the pix.. can you see it outside .... by the 5th or 8th plant.. you ought to know which are growing better than others.. and see if there is a correlation between those browning.. and those growing like weeds ...

ken
sluice
13 years ago
The floating garden looks great! What did you plant there?
coolshemp
Original Author
13 years ago
Hi Ken~

Yes, they grow probably between 1-2 inches, maybe the yellow and brown part make them look so awful now, hopefully that will change once they all settled in.

sluice~ those are yoshino and kwanzan cherry trees, but I just realized they don't live very long, maybe 15-20 years. But we'll have that many years to enjoy the beautiful flowers in spring, hopefully,:-)

Related Stories

COLOR Color of the Week: Spring Blossom Yellow

By Jennifer Ott Design

Tired of winter yet? Bring on spring with our featured color of the week

COLOR Why You Should Give Brown a Chance

By Julia Pockett

If 'blech' is your first response to brown, you're missing out on the opportunity for a warm-looking room that appeals to both sexes

COLOR Best Ways to Use the Neutral Green Color of 2015

By Jennifer Ott Design

Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year is soft and natural

COLOR Create Enviable Interiors With Green Design Schemes

By Julia Pockett

Borrow from nature's playbook for your interior decorating with the color thought to boost balance and youthfulness

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Ericameria Laricifolia

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Golden yellow flowers of turpentine bush herald the arrival of fall in the Southwest and transform the dark green foliage

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Feathery Cassia for Fragrance in Arid Gardens

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Aromatic and golden, this shrub’s flowers enliven dry, sunny landscapes — and its lacy gray-green foliage looks great too

GARDENING GUIDES Got Frost-Damaged Plants? How It Happens, and When and How to Prune

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Crispy brown leaves are a sure sign that Jack Frost has been to your neighborhood

SUMMER GARDENING How to Grow Basil

By Marianne Lipanovich

Bright color, quick growth and endless uses for cooking make this summer annual a winner in the garden or a pot

SAVING WATER Lush Gardens With Low Water Needs

Drought tolerant doesn’t have mean spindly, brown and thorny

NORTHEAST GARDENING Northeast Gardener's July Checklist

By Paintbox Garden

Fire up your garden with sun-loving yellow and red blooms to put you in a party mood for outdoor summer fun

Sponsored

More Discussions

Nice use of a gold conifer

9

Metasequoia glyptostroboides in z4

18

Potted Van Speybrock Spruce

4

Ponderosa pine Montana champ

4

I’ve waited 25 years…

9