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Why is eastern red cedar foliage so thin.

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

We planted 5 Eastern Red Cedars 7 yrs ago. Five are thiving great but one got very thin & had several large limbs die. we started watering it more than the others and it has stopped dying & growing on outter limbs & some inside. What can I use to help it thicken up more?

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Comments (8)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years ago
where are you .. big city name ...

how big at planting... how planted.. how watered.. how much sun ..

and most important.. how about a pic or 2 ...

you havent given us much to work with

ken
Judy Kane
Original Author
2 years ago
We are in Fort Worth, Tx. They were about 7 ft at planting. How planted I don’t know. Watered by hand and rain. Full sun.
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Judy Kane
Original Author
2 years ago
Also, Ken, we have four that are doing great right next to the one that is thin.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Judy
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years ago
i wouldnt hold out a lot of hope for it ... as even if you figure it all out.. it will take many years to recover ... a nice project out on the back of my 5 acres lets say... but im not sure in this situation i would be happy looking at it for the next 3 to 5 year.. hoping it will recover ...

how hot does that cement work get.. how intense is the sun from that sloped reflector ... if you went out at midnight.. is the cement hot to your feet ....

i suspect the bad one is not getting the water it needs .. for a few years now ... and i wouldnt think any rain.. means anything.. since they are severely restricted by the cement ...

these are trees.. aka.. conifers... and it is said.. that a trees root mass is twice as big as the tree you see above .. in a shallow pancake form ... and as they are .. it appears there is only 3 feet or so.. of bare ground for rain to hit .. so i would not really put rain in the equation for how and when to water ...

i suspect.. and we will never know ... that it never formed a mature root mass so as to prosper .. like the others did ...

btw.. what is you base soil under the cement... clay??

bottom line.. replace it.. or remove it ... and put something else there ... monocultures can be difficult.. as when something happens to one.. they could all have the problem.. so you may as well plant anything but a juniper... and pray it was just a watering issue and they others will continue to just do fine ....

ken
Judy Kane
Original Author
2 years ago
Ken, thanks for all your negative thoughts. I was looking for help to try and save it since it has turned around. Like fertilizer etc.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Fertilizer is not a panacea for a stressed plant. In fact, fertilizing one that IS stressed can just exacerbate the situation.

I am confused as to how they are planted. It almost looks like they are in containers that have been sunk into the paved area. Is there a reason this is not a typical open planting bed?

With no other information to go on, I would guess it is a water issue since that is what it responded to.

There is no magic bullet to make the tree fill in and become more dense like its neighbors. You could try some pruning to encourage back budding but any pruning on an individual plant is going to make more of a noticeable difference in appearance and it is not unreasonable to assume that this one tree may never quite look the same as its partners.

ETA: Ken's comments should be considered as realistic rather than negative. All of his observations are completely valid.
Judy Kane
Original Author
2 years ago
Thank you for your comment. It helped me to know what I can do.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years ago
good luck judy... and i really mean that ....

thx gal .. that too

ken

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