Help! Conifers turning brown and dying.
ronandroni
8 years ago
In the last few weeks three of these trees are turning brown close to the trunk. Some branches are completely dry and dead.
We just moved here to Portland, OR and it was a long hot summer. We have a large Arborvitae hedge in the side yard that definitely has spider mites and is also turning brown. We are spraying it with Neem Oil.
But I haven't found any spider mites on these trees. I tried shaking over a white paper and looking with a magnifying glass. There are little dots, but none move, so assume they're just spores from the tree. I don't see any
(We also have two large Golden Hinoke that are now turning brown, but haven't spotted any spider mites.)
Yikes. Worried we might lose them all. Any ideas on what could be ailing these trees?
Thanks!
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Comments (11)Your compost needs to settle for at least two to four weeks before you plant into it. Peat moss usually has very little goodness in it. You have to mix it through the compost. It can also be quite acidic in the soil. That would suit, say, potatoes. Cabbages and lettuces aren't going to like it much. Did you add your amendments such as powdered lime, rock dust, alfalfa meal when you built your bed - and fork, hoe, or rake them through the top few inches so the rain would wash them in? Organic compost - what was the source? Did you make it at home from grass clippings, leaves, kitchen waste and some manure from horses, steers, rabbits or poultry? Or did you buy it in? Is it lumpy? Or soil-like? When you put your bare fingers into it - about two inches down, is it pleasantly damp? Real soggy? Dry as? Are there any weeds growing in it? Anything green at all? Your transplants: were they root-bound (means that when you take them out of the cell or flat there's this mass of tightly-compacted roots - maybe even escaping out the holes at the bottom)? Did you open up the root balls by either snipping off the bottom quarter inch or putting a couple of slashes with a sharp knife from top to bottom of each root ball before you put them into the hole and watered them in to settle them? Did you plunge the seedlings into a bucket of water to thoroughly wet them before you planted? Takes about five minutes - until the bubbles stop rising. When you water - do you waft the hose overhead and damp the soil? Or get a big cup and give each little plant a full cup's worth of sun-warmed water each day? Leave your water in a bucket to warm and let any chemicals such as chlorine evaporate. If the seedlings came in a peat moss mix they may have dried out internally and be very hard to re-wet. Add one to two small drops of dishwash detergent to your two-quart watering can, stir it around as you add the water, then water your seedlings/transplants. The detergent helps to break down the 'skin' on the soil that makes it very slow to take up water. Did you gently firm up the bed before you planted? You can do this by laying a plank or big-enough piece of plywood over the surface and then -horror! walk on it! That helps remove big air pockets without crushing the soil flat. Most plants prefer a somewhat firm soil around them - yet open enough to let air and water and nutrients through. If you've had fierce winds lately: make a temporary windbreak for your garden and plants. Trellis. Netting. Old net curtains over a frame of some kind, held on with clothes pins. If all else fails, be sure to transplant a few replacements into 4" pots so you can fill up the gaps in the planting pattern, should any of the seedlings fade....See MorePotted alnwick rose leaves turning partially brown and dying
Comments (5)Do you have the rose in potting soil or garden soil? Roses in pots should be in potting mix. Garden soil is too "heavy" for a plant in a pot. Are the roots growing out of the bottom of the pot? If so, you may need to move it to a bigger pot. If you just recently repotted the rose, and used new potting mix, the plant shouldn't need any fertilizer for a couple of months. Adding Miracle Grow can be too much for the rose. I also would not add any compost either. Has the temperature recently risen lately and it is hot where you are located? You might want to move the plant where it gets some shade in the afternoon. We are going to be 108--109 for the next week or so, so some afternoon shade for the plants may be in order at my house. I would re-pot the rose in some nice new potting soil and keep it in the shade for a couple of days so it won't go shocky on you. See if that helps....See MoreDill and Fennel plants are turning brown and dying - need help!!
Comments (3)I'm not at all sure why central Texas would necessarily encourage the "thriving" of these plants at this time of year compared to similar hardiness zones in the northern hemisphere. Both should be shutting down in accordance to shorter day length and cooling temperatures just as they would anywhere else. The night time temperatures in your area at this time would certainly support that winding down of the growing season and both annual and perennial plants are winding down their growing season as well. btw, annuals do not have to set flower and bloom before dying off. Cold - especially temps close to freezing - will kill them off regardless of ability to bloom and set seed....See MoreDill and Fennel plants are turning brown and dying - need help!!
Comments (2)Modern research says that the idea that cedar mulch is allelopathic is a myth. The myth evidently started about fifteen years ago with a paper from U. Mass that has now been largely discredited. My fennel is going great guns, but I'll be wary of the insects you describe. I have to wonder if your bed just doesn't drain well. Fennel is prone to root rot....See More
ronandroni
8 years agoronandroni
8 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
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