Hello,
I have a row of Arborvitae evergreen trees that have been doing really well until this year.
They have started to get brown on the tips of their leave. I do water them every other day and plenty I think.
I have given them some of those stick fertilizers. I have also given them a handfull of holly.
none of that has shown any effects.

Can anyone provide any suggesstion as what this might be?

thanks a lot.

 

you might be watering them too much..i've got several (in coastal south carolina) and they are planted in the world's crappiest soil, i never water or fertilize them (we're in a mini-drought now), and they are doing fine..i'm beginning to think they are like wax myrtles - best left alone.

 

I have a couple of dozen Arborvitae of different varieties and I have never seen the condition in the photos.

I will say that I never water established trees. There is no need. Especially in LI. Unless there is somethiong in the ground poisoning them, I would guess it may be overwatering.

Whenever I have a plant problem I can't resolve I usually lop off an example and take it in to my local nursery.

 

I think that it is over watering or winter kill. These plants like a well drained soil and too much water can cause mildew or mold and even drown the roots.

My suggestions are: (1) that you cut way back on the watering; (2) inspect the plants for mites and (3) take digital pictures of the plants from the same spot ten feet away every week and flip them back and forth on your computer to see if the brown areas are getting bigger. If the damage was from over watering or winter kill, you should see more green appear.

 

I was told from our local nursery that it might be too much water. So, I have stopped watering them and left it to what they get from sprinklers.
I will post the result.

Thank you all for your feedback.

 

I'd say winter kill. Ours here in Nebraska usually have some frost bite on the tips or even whole branches every spring.

 

So what does "winter kill" exactly means? Am I going to lose these trees?

 

I don't know if there is a real good definition, but it refers to plant damage from and unusually cold or windy winter.

After a real severe winter in northern Illinois, when my mother would see a plant in the spring that had some branches that were (or appeared to be) dead, she would say it was "winter kill". She'd cut back the dead parts and give the plant a shot of fertilizer. Usually, the plant would live. If it had been a mild winter, she'd have my father dig up the plant and throw it on the compost pile.

The life lesson here is if you are going to look a little ragged, have a good excuse.

Its one of those things you learn when you're seven that you never question for the rest of your life.

 

It's similar to frost bite. I'd just trim off the dead areas.