Conifer going brown (Merged Thread)

bizzylizzy

I have a small conifer, approx 5ft tall, about 8-10 yrs old. It is planted in the front garden and has been steadily, but slowly growing taller. The top looks v. healthy but it has been going brown at the bottom. Whole branches are now brown and when I went to cut them off I found that there are a lot more brown parts inside too. If I chop all the brown there won't be much left and it will look v. peculiar. Is it dying?

Perfectspace

Hi Bizzylizzy

By far, the most likely explanation for this browning is that the conditions are not allowing the plant to get enough moisture.

Conifers are generally hungry and thirsty. Browning often occurs when the roots are not taking up enough water, and when the plant is exposed to cold drying winds - stopping the plant taking in moisture through it's greenery.

Remember that the natural habitat of conifers is very mild damp woodlands, where protection is in vast numbers, and the climate allows for plenty of moisture.

Have a go at resolving this issue first, although you will find that it will be a good year or so before it recovers.

There are other problems that could cause this - but with the info given, I'd probably go with that.

Perfect Space

Kay_Peel

I have just spent two evenings dealing radically with a browned off conifer.:D

I've been caring for it for about four years, but it didn't seem to be getting any better, and it was too big to move (about 7 foot tall). The inside and bottom was all brown and dead. The top and outside looked healthy enough. I know that if you cut it back hard, it's unlikely to spring out new shoots - so what do you do, apart from give up on it?

My answer was to take off all the bottom branches. Yes all of them. I then went inside the conifer and removed all the twigs, and the brown dead leaves. Yes, I stripped out the middle completely. :eek:

I gave it a good drenching and covered the base with all those brown bits, as a mulch. There was a great, huge load of it (the rest went down my top and into my underwear - but I won't dwell on that!)

I'm left with what looks like a standard tree. The air, sunlight and rain can get through because of the bare branches in the middle. The only foliage that is left is the strong, healthy, green, outer shoots. The birds are delighted and are picking off all the insects and wildlife on the inside.

I stood back and looked at my handiwork and I'm very pleased with the effect, the new shape and the added light. I was on a hiding to nothing, so it was worth the experiment.

k.:dance:

Chester_Draws

I personally believe that the secret with conifers is their spacing and location.

Spacing should be appx 4 miles apart, and the location should be Norway, although Sweden is acceptable.

goju

Hi,
moved in the last two years.


5 conifers in a row, but the end one got a brown patch over the winter and now its getting worse

i have pictures but do not know how to attached

smellymel74

i'm a total amateur but keen gardener and need some advice on my browing conifers please.

i've just moved an old shed from the jungle of a garden in the house that i've moved into. unfortuntaely, several of the beautiful conifers behind the shed have gone brown - where the sun couldn't get to the 'leaves' i presume.

there's green growth coming from the top of all the trees so i don't think they're dead but is there any way of reviving the brown patches?? i was thinking of cutting all the brown bit back and hoping for the best!

any ideas much appreciated! thanks.

Larumbelle

'browned out' conifer foliage will never go green again, but as for when and how you should prune depends on the plant species. Any chance you could identify the conifer/post a picture?

Depending on the age and species, there is also a chance that you will get limited regrowth where you prune.

smellymel74

oh what a disappointment! thanks though. i have no idea what kind of conifers they are sorry - just look like the bog standard green ones you get from the garden centre. about 10 foot tall if that's any help.

might have to grow something through them to conceal the brown patches.

Larumbelle

You might have misunderstood me Mel, so I'm going to rephrase it just in case!

If you leave the brown stuff attached, it won't go green.

If you prune the brown stuff on, it might regrow, depending on the species and whether it is pruned correctly. I would consult a professional before you give it up as a dead loss!

smellymel74

got you now. sorry but thanks for clearing that up. will have a go at trying to discovering what kind of conifer it is so as to give it the best chance of regrowth!:j

Filey

Many conifers, both in hedges and as individual trees, are suffering die back in this area. It is apparently due to an infection of some sort. Not sure whether or not it is carried by some type of aphid. Conifers of the Leylandii type will not re-sprout on old wood. In other words if you trim them back too far they will not re-grow and you will be left with a dead patch. Similarly if the brown patches on your tree /bush are due to die back it will not re-grow. Your only hope is that there is sufficient healthy green growth around the dead patch that will grow round and cover it up and that there is no further die back.

Sorry to sound pessimistic. I am not an expert so in this case I hope a) I am wrong and b).your tree just needs a good watering.