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Trees Landscape Design

Is my tree dying?

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Starting a few ago, some of the branches started turning yellow/brown. Even though some parts of the tree still look healthy, the problem seems to be accelerating. I'm feeling helpless and I'm hoping that someone can tell me what is happening and if anything can be done.

Thanks,

Gianni

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

4 years ago

Form and habit would suggest Leyland cypress. And depending on where you are located, various blights and cankers can kill off portions or even the entire tree. This seems to be most prevelant in trees that are grown in the MidAtlantic to southeastern portions of the US.

Leyland cypress diseases

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Comments (6)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 years ago
where is the plant ...

looks like its all one branch.. can you get in there.. and see if it was broken or damaged somehow.... like snowload... though it doesnt look like a snowland plant ...

i hoping someone can ID it from this distance ... if not.. we will need closer pix ...

ken
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"Very simply, the tree in the picture is planted too deeply." I REALLY doubt the problem has anything to do with being planted too deeply. It's possible, but so is "Reason Number 67: Your neighbor put a curse on the tree". This off-the-cuff diagnosis is certainly not backed up by ANY pertinent facts. One possibility, though only one of many, is Botryosphaeria canker. This problem has been reported in your area and symptoms look similar to what I can see in the pictures you've provided. I would contact your local extension office and they should be very familiar with the issue! More information / better pictures / first hand inspection may be necessary for proper diagnosis.
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First, 'Super Thrive' is NOT a liquid fertilizer. It has none of the typical ingredients (NPK) one would find in a real fertilizer and is at best a liquid supplement but of very dubious need and value. Most professional horticulturists consider it nothing more than snake oil :-) Read THIS to gain some understanding of what this product is and how it works, if at all. Any application of this stuff is in my opinion a waste of money and effort. Other than watering as may be necessary, there is nothing you can or should do for this tree right now. It will either make it or not. Missing the watering necessary to help establish a newly planted tree (and January certainly qualifies - even last January!) can have long term repercussions, which you may be seeing here. It's always a risk to think that natural rainfall will suffice when often it does not. OTOH, plants are a lot more adaptable to stressed conditions than we expect, so it could be just fine. Regardless, you will not know for sure until it comes time for the tree to leaf out next spring.
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Thank you all for your reply and advise. I don't think I would remove it since it give shade to the pool and it one of the tallest trees in my neighborhood. I do have palm tree, like 12 feet away, that died last March, it lost all the leaves and just died. I don't know what happened, I was overseas, and dis come back until August. think it got strock by lightning, because I could see a line on the side. It was very old since it is super tall. I haven't removed it, probably should, right now it's just a home for 8 wood peckers. (Pictures when it died) I think my tree it's an evergreen... I don't know if it is a Simarouba glauca as suggested, since I haven't seen any flowers or fruits. I will definitely post on identify my tree with extra pictures and update Thanks!
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Comments (15)
they are stressed .. from shipping from grower.. to seller to you ... fert is never a response to stress .. except from a grandma.. you you arent these trees grandma .. lol ... next.. the already brown part.. are shipping damage ... they got injured being hioked around inmoving all over the place... snip out back to green growth ... just in case.. interior yellowing and browning is normal.. and seasonal ... and can be increased by the stresses above.. i see little of that right now.. but warn you.. so you wont freak out ... link below is a good primer.. look at section 12 ... and the section on mulching ... https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub dig some small holes with a hand trowel.. or tablespoon .. AND FIND OUT ABOUT MOISTURE AT DEPTH ... no one can tell you about how water moves thru your soil.. in your yard.. in your location.. in your weather ...so you have to figure it out ... but to be sure.. you need to get water down to where the roots are .. not just the surface .. and then let them near dry before you water deeply again ... once you get water down there.. and mulch.. you might not have to water for weeks or even a month.. depending on weather ... except for the mechanical damage ... your tree doesnt look all that bad ... try not to love them to death ... ken
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Embothrium
4 years ago
Otherwise since it's all at one point on the tree I would wonder if there was wire cutting into the trunk, that was left from it having been staked at one time.
PRO
Revolutionary Gardens
4 years ago
Not what you want to hear, but I look at situations like this as the universe giving you the opportunity to replace a not so great tree with something that doesn't get crazy big, doesn't have shallow roots that make it easy to fall over in a storm, and doesn't roll out the welcome mat for bagworm and a bunch of other nasties.
Embothrium
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Most trees have primarily shallow roots - in my region of giant forest conifers it is typical for the bottom of the root system to turn out to be as flat as a board when one of these blows over. And not very deep at all.

Probably with Leyland cypress the main problem is them being rootbound at planting, due to production operations not keeping up with their fast growth. A big heavy top develops after installation on the final planting site, while a lot of the root system is still deformed and not therefore providing a secure anchorage.
ruff78
4 years ago
That looks like cankers to me...should see discoloration and/or sap exuding from base of the branches. Clip out the dead branches close to the trunk, and disinfect your clippers to prevent the spread of the fungus. There isn't much else to do. Water in times of drought and maybe fertilize to keep it healthy. The healthier it is, the more likely it will have fewer issues in the future.

Or...the way the branches are splayed looks like they could be broken. Have any tree climbers or rough housers in your yard lately?

Get up in there and check it out.

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