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Hinoki Cypress browning?

9 years ago

I have two cultivars of Hinoku Cypress- Lutea and contorta. Both have started to exhibit some brown spotting as shown in the photo of the Lutea's foliage. Anybody know what this is? They are both prob 2 year trees, and get a fair amount of sun. Well drained. Potted. Late summer burns? Lack of nutrient? Please help!

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Comments (4)

acerman
Original Author
9 years ago
I said they were well drained, but I think they're just potted in a regular potting soil. Should I amend with some sand/vermiculite? I am also going to cut away the brown, I think
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
i suspect a water issue ... and it looks like sunburn ...

i suspect a lack of water.. a while back ... during the hot season ...

with conifers.. the injury.. can be months.. before the needles fail ... and sometimes.. even the season before...

e.g. i can have winter wind burn .... but the evergreen needles dont brown until the heat of summer impacts the plants ability to pump enough water to the injured leaves ...

i do NOT recommend cutting it off ... notice the growth tips are still alive ... unless you can predict how it will impact the trees growth ... in other words.. if this is the leader i would leave it.. need a pic of the whole ...

you need a special media for trees in and you dont mention pot size ... if you can not make your own al's gritty mix [a GW fave] .... then i suggest a bagged cactus mix ... perhaps cut with a peat mix ...

lets see a pic of the media you are using .... you say its drains well .. i want to know.. how much it retains .... peat is usually the variable ....

finally ... they are not children.. they are not hungry ... this is not a food issue ... but.. because it is potted ... you may need A LITTLE fert once in a while ... but not in fall ... IMHO ...

for sure finally .... i would not have this plant in full sun... in a pot.. on say.. cement patio.. during noon to 6 pm.. the heat of the day .... but i would have it in as bright a spot as i could... its all about.. how hot the pot and roots get ... where is yours kept???

ken
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one of the hardest to grow .. IMHO ... especially up here in z5 ... i would never have spent the energy in moving a 6 footer.. revel in the ones that succeeded.. rather than worrying about the ones that died .... moving large, mature trees ... is VERY DIFFICULT ... even at 6 foot.. these were OLD trees ... being EVERGREEN ... they were probably killed at the move.. but stayed green .. trying to live until they just couldnt do it ... mulch them deeply and properly ... and water deeply ... and let them nearly dry in between .. you have to make sure you get water down to the severed roots ... and the only way to tell is to insert a finger or hand shovel.. and find if it is damp down there .. again .. revel in the ones that lived.. and dont fret about your losses.. you really didnt think you would score 100% ... did you??? good luck with the rest.. ken
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if the green.. is as dull as it looks in the pic.. presume it dead and move on ... it should be a deep emerald green .. not a dusty khaki.... or give it another month to decide ... ken ps: latin would sure help ... its either not a cypress.. perhaps a false cypress .. or its the standard chameacyparis .... i wouldnt want to be presuming one thing .. and advising on another ... i know nothing about cypress ...
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The branch my have been broken and eventually browned or there is lack of water. Sometimes rain does not make it to the root ball on newly planted shrubs. I define newly planted as within the last 3-4 years. I will occasionally, water each of my newly planted shrubs and trees during the summer and into the fall. Rain is good , however do not assume it is watering deeply. The root balls on plant are sometimes tight and it takes a lot of water to get all the roots wet. This conifer will have some inner browning each year, it is how the old needles ( for lack of better term) die and new form . It does not hurt to clean them out each year. It is up to you. Do you know which hinoki you purchased. some grow slow and small and others get large.
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whats the green line near the right bottom ... and what looks like an emitter near the top? confers dont like wet foliage??????? this is not uncommon in my MI ... some old standards survive.. many others dont ... giving me the opinion that some are z5 tolerant.. and others barely z6 ... i dont know if thats a fact ... or just my experience .... let it crisp up when the warm weather comes... put on a glove.. brush it all off.. and then decide if you can put up with how ugly it is ... the brown is dead ... it will all brush off ... all life is in the green ... and there wont be a lot there .. to feed the roots.. for future growth ... looks like you lost at least 50% of the canopy .... on my 5 acres... and my proclivity for weirder the better ... i might just leave it alone and see what happens ... but if it were somewhere where i would see it every time i walked out the door ... my patience might be very short lived ... as would it .... ken
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mikebotann
9 years ago
The only time my gold Hinokis burn is when they are in a pot or recently transplanted and in full sun. Larger ones in place for some time with no extra water in our dry summers do not sunburn here in full sun and decent soil.
Mike
gimberly sw ohio 6a
9 years ago
I have two of these same plants that were both doing well for 3 years in different locations. This past winter was extreme, and the south face of one of them got sunburnt much more severely than yours, though the other one looked great. These plants always lose old foliage and get brown in the middle, so it's nothing to worry about. It only takes a few minutes to knock off all the old dead stuff - I do this every winter.

I moved the burnt one to another location so that it still gets plenty of sun, but now has a bit more protection...I'll see how it looks after this next winter. If needed, I'll move it again next March or April. AL

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