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Help! my two large conifers are dying

kadiekaismummi
kadiekaismummi Posts: 1,074 Forumite
in Gardening
I was wandering has anyone got any advice on conifer trees..... I planted them about 7 -8 years ago when they were babies (18inches)...they thrived and they have grown into two lovely green conifers of about 12 foot each and are my gardens central point, ( Iove my conifers)...... a couple of months ago one started going brown, and i was hoping it would turn green again, It didnt, it just got browner and browner, and now obviously dying, the other has now started going brown too, and this is getting worse, the first tree is too late to save as it doesnt have much green left on it, but just maybe some kind person on here maybe able to help me try and save my much beloved tree...... Someone told me that conifers can get cancer, and maybe it has this! Tell the truth, I never knew a conifer could get cancer, as Ive never heard of this before.... So has anybody else having problems with their conifers going brown, and is there anyone else who knows what i can do to try and make my tree better again.... I would appreciate any advice given thanks again......

Comments

  • Merlot
    Merlot Posts: 1,890 Forumite
    Its either water shortage, a disease, a little sporadic brown could be winter injury from a multitude of things ... a totally brown conifer is probably dead .. without pictures ... its really hard to tell ...

    Merlot.x.
    "Wisdom doesn't automatically come with old age. Nothing does, except wrinkles. It's true, some wines improve with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place." — Abigail Van Buren
  • tanith
    tanith Posts: 8,091 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    If they are in an exposed area they could be suffering from winter/wind burn... it happens when there is a dry very cold wind... don't think there is much you can do as it usually just affects one side of the tree and then it looks awful... sorry its not better news... hopefully its something else...
    #6 of the SKI-ers Club :j

    "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke
  • beckyp_2
    beckyp_2 Posts: 1 Newbie
    but i dont think they are dead!!

    i have a row of conifers in my garden which although not beautiful i like as they screen the garden from the neighbours behind(they are trimmed though).

    over the last few weeks i have noticed that a conifer towards the back has turned brown (all the green leaf bits!) and the brown is spreading from the top down on the other conifers.

    any ideas would be most apprciated. i'm not the most greenfingered so have no idea what kind of conifers they are!


    thanks

    becky
  • WestonDave
    WestonDave Posts: 5,154 Forumite
    Rampant Recycler
    Is it new growth that is turning brown or the whole thing. Sometimes they get wind or frost burnt on the new growth if they get going too early and then get knocked back. We have one at the bottom of our garden which had brown bits in it when we moved in, but these have gradually dropped off and the rest of it is fine.

    If they are turning totally brown then I think something is killing them - it could be the soil is too wet and they are rotting but I wonder if someone has got to them with something to kill them - e.g. weedkiller.
    Adventure before Dementia!
  • louise_1981
    louise_1981 Posts: 1,118 Forumite
    Thank you, I have noticed mine are going brown at the tops too.

    Was hoping that they were not dying, as you say it provides privacy, similarly out the backs starts where ours fininsh and I would hate if they decided to cut theirs down.

    the others around do not seem to have my problem, however, I think mine is a different variety and mine is more of a golden yellowy green rather than the dark green they have.

    thank reminds me, mine needs a trim, any advice, they are around 11ft.

    thanks and hope it helps
    The sign of a wasted life is a tidy house, Welcome to the chaos!
  • shona_2
    shona_2 Posts: 467 Forumite
    I have a conifer that was too crowded. When I took out the tree nect to it, it is brown down one side. And it looks like these branches are pretty dead. Do you think they'll "come back"?
    thanks
    .
  • Chef1980uk
    Chef1980uk Posts: 226 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Old thread but hope some can help. Ours are being killed by ivy thats taking over. We've cleared the ivy on our side of the fence but next door are leaving the ivy alone and thats where its getting bad. There is still one maybe two trees untouched so should i cut out the brown ones leaving the good 2, and then getting in and getting rid of as much ivy as possible?
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