The immediate thing to notice is all the row behind the retaining wall look bronzed or slightly under healthy to some extent while right next to them at a right angle they look healthy. Insects wouldn't differentiate obviously but the raised bed could be a cause somehow. That or the certain conditions those facing that way receive.

Over to the better heads.

a really large dog????

highly doubt its insect ...

how big at transplant.... how rec'd ... ball and burlap ...

how planted.. by whom ....

watering since???

how was the wall built .... you didnt raise the soil level and bury the root flares by 6 or 8 inches???

finally .. ambient weather for last two years???

you really havent given us anything to go on .. .

now.. they were planted form immediate gratification [large-ish transplants .. very close together] ... in theory ... every other one could be removed.. and they will fill in nicely .... now that they have their mojo rolling ....

but i highly suspect.. this one is a goner ... and you probably wont know why.. until you pull it out... and find out.. as a BB 99% of its roots were destroyed in the process .... or its roots were so winding from a pot... etc ...

if you planted 50 ... and this is your first loss ... lets me suggest.. you beat everyones odds... and should still be high fiving yourself ... and not really complaining about a 95% success rate ... eh???

maybe you can find one on an end... and transplant it into this space?????? .... one thing for sure.. lol ... the most important one.. will always be the one to die ...

ken

I had 2 of 11 die from what seemed to be wind/cold exposure (ones at the windward, exposed end of my "row"), but never been sure that was actually the cause. All the others are perfectly healthy. So not much help, but yours isn't the only case of some dying. Perhaps there is some instances of root-rot.......

I planted all of them 4 years ago, 5' feet apart, balled and burlapped, around 5' high. Watered well the first year and they haven't required much supplemental watering since. We did have a dry spell late summer/early fall and they didn't get any additional watering. Weather in NJ has been all over the map last 2 years. We had a particularly cold winter, but not terribly hot summer.

The retaining wall was already there when I planted these trees. I just removed the old railroad ties that were framing it and built the small wall out of stone.

I can handle losing one, my biggest concern is that whatever is happening to this one starts to "spread" to the others. Should I just take that one out now?

And my dog is only 45 pounds...

my biggest concern is that whatever is happening to this one starts to "spread" to the others.

==>>> as i suspected .... but the rest sure look fine ... on these pix ...

i dont think z6 is cold.. as i know cold ... it should not have mattered ...

i am thinking the BB digging .... if very borderline... is the culprit .... it can take trees a long time to use up the stored energy ...

ken

It could be some sort of herbicide exposure that was applied by the homeowner behind those particular trees (what do they look like on the other side)? It could also be something unique to the soil in that particular spot. Either way, it looks like they've already passed the point of no return.

re: mine above immediate .... which might also be another way of saying.. this one did not become established ...

ken

That's a definite possibility. The opposite side of the trees (facing the other home) look distinctly worse. Is there any way to determine if they were exposed to anything? Like sending it to a lab or having a garden center test part of the tree?

if it was intentional ... why would they just do one??? ...ken

Look at the photos Ken...there are 4 showing similar symptoms.

if wind kicks up when spraying weed killer , could carry to one or two

ron

I'm less concerned with determining whether or not it was intentional, but figuring out if it was a chemical, so I don't have to worry about a disease and can prevent it from happening again.

Discoloration/symptomology does not match herbicide. I would check the trunk and look first at the junction with the branch thats been dead the longest. I would be willing to bet you have a fungal canker (bark lesion) caused by Botryosphaeria or Seiridium. These fungi commonly cause damage to Cupressaceae...especially stressed ones. Could also be root disease, as has been pointed out.

Are the trees that are showing browing the trees planted up in that"retaining wall" you have them in? The neighbor is right in back of them? Are the healthy looking trees the trees that are at ground level?

It's not the sun difference from winter, it's the retaining wall thing you have them planted in. They aren't happy at all, their roots are growing and hitting that wall and they aren't happy. The drainage also isn't as good there, wether you realize it or not.

If they were mine, I would get rid of the blocks and the wood pieces that were there before the blocks you put in, and see how it goes til spring.

Remember, Green Giant is named that for a reason. They will also grow roots in the winter the most, even in NJ in the cold. Give the roots some room to spread out.

I'm just curious, you stated they were Burlaped when you bought them.

Did you remove the burlap when you planted them 4 years ago?

Please say you did, because that isn't helping the situation either.

I wish you luck and please keep us updated. This is the downside of planting a monoculture.

Guys, what is the best disposal method to keep whatever from spreading? Cut and drag to the local dump? Is burning ok for the OP?

Green Giant is named that for a reason. They will also grow roots in the winter the most, even in NJ in the cold.

-===>>> just to be clear for other readers ... IMHO ... they do not grow roots in winter in ground freeze areas ... and i base this opinion on logic.... rather than science ... if anyone can link me to info the other way ... go for it ... i am always willing to learn ...

ken

What kind of trees are growing nearby? Are their roots invading your raised bed and robbing moisture? You say that they haven't required much supplemental water but maybe they did. Assuming they were planted properly, they were either dried out (my opinion) or poisoned.

Burlap was removed 4 years ago when I planted them. I haven't watered any of the trees after the first year. My understanding is that once they were established they didn't need a lot of additional watering outside of drought periods.

Of the 30 trees, these 5 in the retaining wall had been doing the best until this fall. I installed a drainage system in the retaining wall.

Here are the photos of the branching points that someone requested. That may not be of good enough quality, but I could easily take a few more.

But much of NJ, LI, and Connecticut HAD been in moderate drought for much of the Summer and WELL into Fall (with deficits up to 10 inches..., with hot weather no less).

Have had similar experience with many conifers and found the had malnutrician.Being close together the roots are spreading as it grows.People rake up all of natures food leaves sticks etc.I was advised by horticulturist at White Flower Farm to feed heavily .Being a friend of Bill I collect all coffee grounds at our m eetings,having a dog kennel I use all dog poop and shavings from the kennel all leaves from yard all deadheaded plant material,nothing organic goes to waste and let it compost on the site needed under the trees .The results are amazing.The trees are recovered and thriving.If appearance is an issue I cover natures food with Pine mulch.Only common sense,give it a try.

Peter

I agree with severnside that the wall may be significant. Trees drain differently in a raised bed...it's possible the raised bed may have made them more vulnerable to drought.

Also, when I see a couple trees in a row suddenly browning, I wonder about chemical spray. It needn't be herbicide...many kinds of fertilizer could burn foliage if the wind blew the spray onto the foliage. Also, are these trees anywhere near a road or path where road salt may have been applied? (These two issues might be fixable by simply hosing down the trees).

You say, "Watered well the first year and they haven't required much supplemental
watering since. We did have a dry spell late summer/early fall and they
didn't get any additional watering." My understanding is that once they were established they didn't need a lot of additional watering outside of drought periods."

It wouldn't hurt to water them after the first year. One statement doesn't cover all circumstances. You had a dry late summer and early Fall and the damage is just now showing up.

Did you ever dig around the rootballs to see if they needed water?

I agree with the others that the damage doesn't look like herbicide is the cause of the damage. I see no dead weeds.

Mike

I had a similar issue and I trimmed off the bad stuff - back to the trunk - and fertilized, mulched & watered consistently and they came back.

If you compost try making compost tea & spraying on the branches/foliage. Some garden centers sell compost tea also.

Watering is a must near walls ,living on a steep hill we have walls every where and even plants that thrive on drainage (Rhodies etc) need a lot of water supplement.We find that feeding away from the wall the roots extend in that direction where it is more moist.

That raised bed and block wall are murder on Green Giants. The send out shallow roots all around and they will compete with grass for moisture. As a Green Giant grows it covers more of the ground around it and the ground becomes dry near the trunk where very little rain falls. Not a problem because the roots keep reaching out further and further past the drip line. Also, when planted close they crowd each other and will not be Giants. Spacing on Green Giants should be 10ft min. or even 15ft. Staggering and full sun if you have the room is even better.

To update everyone, I had an arborist come out to look over the trees. His assessment was that stress to the trees from a lack of water made them susceptible to a boring insect. His evidence of that was a softer trunk with visible sap. His recommendation was to remove the most severely damaged tree, apply a root stimulating fertilizer in the spring, and be more diligent about watering. The other trees did not show evidence of infestation and he believes if they are not stressed, they will not be attacked by the insects.

remove the most severely damaged tree, apply a root stimulating fertilizer in the spring, and be more diligent about watering.

==>> the only stimulant the roots need.. is water ... IMHO ... stressed plants dont need fert nor stimulants ...

ken

I agree with Ken - proper watering is all that is required. Root stimulating fertilizers are more of a marketing hype by fertilizer manufacturers than they are of any recognizable benefit, especially to established shrubs and trees (may be moderately helpful with very young, new transplants).

If affected by any sort of boring insect, you should see signs of frass or fine sawdust by the entry hole or at the base of the tree directly below. Appearance of sap is not a conclusive indication that a borer is the issue.

I haven't watered any of the trees after the first year. My
understanding is that once they were established they didn't need a lot
of additional watering

==>>> did you presume ... on these rather large transplants.. that they were going to be fully established.. after the first year???

did you insert finger .... across a wide range of locations.. to find out... if they were wet or dry ...

its the presumption ... that is bothering me ... on large transplants.. i would think 2 to 3 years.. before becoming full re-established .... and what i would call.. free range ...

ken

I have had same problem close to where I took down a gum tree. I think the roots from the gum are rotting and causing the others to die. I replaced two on either side of the one that is presently having problems. I cleacleaned the area of gum roots and it has worked for now. I have 30.

What the H... is a gum tree ?

Is it poisonous ?

start your own post if you have question